


The Parable of the Twins

by Peakey421



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-06
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:13:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 21,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27920563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peakey421/pseuds/Peakey421
Summary: Teenage twin sisters and zombie apocalypse survivors Sophie and Minerva are taken away from their home to be trained as soldiers for a militarist group lost deep in the fog of war. Trusting only each other, the two must rely only on themselves to protect one another from their new dangerous environment and to preserve their sisterly bond. However, as seasons change and views start to shift, the sisters begin to clash on how to survive their ordeal. If the two fail to see eye to eye, then they could face the destruction of not only their relationship, but also each other. Set in The Walking Dead Game universe approximately one year before the events of The Final Season.
Comments: 3
Kudos: 2





	1. The Rabbit and the Hare

The woods were sound asleep. Complete and utter silence hushed the trees and wildlife into a tranquil slumber. The only sound that could be heard from the lazy wilderness was the softness of a quiet breathing. A breathing that made the silence seem serene. A breathing that still echoed a calm stillness of life; as opposed to the unsettling silence of death. The branches of the trees gently rocked their leaves back and forth, causing the rustling of their snores to lull the forest into a deeper sleep. A blanket of frost hid the vibrant greenness of the undergrowth, keeping it sheltered from the approaching dawn. A bird whistled a soft call in the distance, warming up her song to bid the woods good morning. Below the earth, critters of all kinds shuffled and shimmied about without much urgency. The sun leisurely began to peek her head above the horizon, appearing as if she were allowing nature to sleep in just a little bit longer.

The sight was one of rarity in the world where Walkers ruled. The dead would roam aimlessly day and night in an endless chorus of groans and gargles. Their mindless bellows and sickening rumbles soured the rancid air that hung around them. Whether these sounds were meant to be one of warning for future victims or an outcry of agony, who was to say. All that mattered on this particular early morning was that even the Walkers had ceased their raspy howls. It was as if they too were resting with the woodland. Perhaps they were even taking a break from their never-ending conquest for flesh. Or maybe they had just simply left the forest to be, and dragged their deteriorating bodies elsewhere.

Regardless of the reason of silence from the Walkers, it made for a golden moment of peace for teenage apocalypse survivor Sophie. In a world where her everyday survival depended on a delicate balance of luck and whit, a quiet stillness like the one that surrounded her this morning was very welcomed. She sat perched on an old hollowed log that was half tucked into the earth. The frost that had grown on her wooden seat crept up through her jeans and into her bones, making her give a slight shiver. Sophie watched as the sun's head began to haul her head above the tree line a little farther. She took a deep, cooling gulp of air. _What I'd give for every early-morning hunt to be this quiet._ The cold breeze nipped at her face, sending a muted rosy color to spread across her pale cheeks.

As Sophie released her frost-encrusted sigh into a foggy cloud, a faint, rhythmic crunching of frozen dirt drew her attention away from her sleepy surroundings. She turned her head away from the early dawn light to see three familiar figures marching towards her. It was the rest of her hunting party and fellow survivors of Ericson's Boarding School for Troubled Youth.

Before corpses started to sing their wretched songs, Sophie and her siblings had been sent to the boarding school after an incident with their mentally ill mother. Their father had said it was best for everyone to get away from each other for a while. Little did he know that a little while would turn into forever. As such, when the dead started walking, Sophie and her siblings started to call the school home. When all teachers and faculty left the children behind to fend for themselves, Sophie grew to call her former classmates family. Marlon, the leader of the abandoned children of Ericson's, was head of the pack. Brody, his second-in-command and a good friend of Sophie's, trailed behind him. Her identical twin sister and best friend, Minerva, fell in beside Brody. She could hear them quietly chatting in the distance. Sophie stood up from her frozen log to make her own distant figure known.

"Well, look who's up and at em' before everyone else! Early bird catches the worm, I guess!" Marlon called out.

"The only thing this early bird has caught is a couple of frozen asscheeks. Damn it's cold!" Sophie called back.

"Well, winter is well on its way," Brody commented as the group met up with Sophie. "Don't worry, it'll warm up a bit by this afternoon!"

Sophie let out a little huff. "It damn well better! I prefer my ass to be unfrozen!"

"Why? Just so you can talk out of it and we're forced to listen to it?" Marlon joked, his icy blue eyes glittering with amusement. Brody and Minerva broke into light giggles.

Sophie gave Marlon a playful shove. "Watch it, rat boy." Marlon cracked a bright smile and trotted a few steps away from her.

"Aw, c'mon Soph. Early morning hunts are nice!" Minerva said, cheerfully.

"Yeah, when it doesn't feel like Santa Clause is blowing ass as he flies over the sky!" Sophie replied. Her sister chuckled at her comparison.

"But you have to admit, they are awfully peaceful," Minerva remarked.

Sophie nodded. "Yeah, I guess I can't argue with ya there."

Marlon clapped his hands together. "Welp! What do you ladies say we go disturb the peace and grab us some dinner!" Three unanimous agreements answered Marlon and the small party set off into the drowsy woods.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The little group of teenagers trekked lightly, as to not alarm any potential meals of their presence. The twins meandered side-by-side a few feet behind their leaders. A comfortable silence enveloped them, with everyone wading through their own thoughts and daydreams. Sophie was mulling over Minerva's clothing. Her sister wore a very old, white fleece jacket that had once been the music teacher's. A rainbow of red and brown stains was splattered haphazardly across the entire jacket. A small, faded heart drawn on by a younger Sophie with permanent marker was placed directly over where Minerva's heart rested underneath. It was quite the fashion statement. Sophie's own top was in a similar state of disrepair. Her burgundy Ericson's hoodie had become speckled with holes that revealed her pale skin underneath. Walker gut and dirt decorated it in speckles and splashes of filth. A big hole that had been torn by a jagged tree branch on the back had been loosely sewn back together, and was now beginning to unravel.

Both of the girls' light blue jeans were ripped and shredded; not from violent or dangerous encounters, but from rapidly growing legs. Sophie and her sister had always been the tallest members of their community up until last year, when most of the boys had finally caught up to them. Even then, most of them were only just barely taller than the twins. Because of their rapid and constant growth over the years, the twins frequently had to patch their pants with old shirts nobody could fit into anymore. They never had any pair to grow into, as their father probably didn't anticipate this situation when he sent them away. As such, both girls' jeans were patched with an array of mismatched colors and patterns. The ankles on both pairs had been expanded with the sleeves of two yellow short-sleeve shirts.

Both young women wore identical pairs of black leather motorcycle boots. They had been discovered in a nearby horse stable four years ago, long before the twins could even fit into them. The leather had worn down into tears and wrinkles over the years, and were now more tape and patchwork than boot. Any leather that did still manage to remain was scored with angry scars and rips. Sophie imagined they didn't smell exactly like a bed of roses either.

The nicest thing either sister had on was Sophie's ten-inch, black, steel hunting knife that was holstered in grey leather. It swung from her right hip, loosely attached to the loop of her jeans. Minerva was usually squeamish around weapons, and even disliked using them for self-defense against Walkers, so Sophie would regularly carry the weapons for both of them if she could. Minerva could easily kill a Walker when she wanted to, but would always shut her eyes tightly and squeal in discomfort as her weapon struck the soft brain. "I just can't stand the idea of being the bad guy!" she would always tell Sophie. "The very thought of someone or something being afraid of me because I want to hurt them...I can't stand it!" Sophie would then have to remind her sister it was an 'us or them kind' of world now, and everyone had to be someone's bad guy at some point. "I know..." she would trail off. "But that doesn't mean I have to be okay with it."

"You think we'll find any new clothes soon?" Sophie wondered out loud.

"I sure hope so," Minerva answered. "I had to patch Tenn's boots up again right before we left."

"I was gonna patch them when we got back," Sophie replied. "Were they that bad?"

"Oh yeah," Minerva responded. "His entire big toe was poking out! It looked like it was trying to escape from boot jail!" The girls softly chuckled.

Tennessee, or Tenn for short, was the twins' little brother. The girls, Sophie in particular, did their best to keep Tenn preserved from the horrors of the Walker World. They refused to hide him from the grief and turmoil. If they wanted to raise an honest boy, they had to be honest about the gruesome and malevolent world around them. But they ensured he was raised to believe in the lighter side of the way things were; to believe there was still good and sanity in the world if you looked at things the right way. They managed to bring him up with a heart of integrity and purity, which Sophie was very proud of. Raising a young boy with a giving heart in a world that only wanted to take was more challenging than anyone could have anticipated. Sophie had to give credit to Minerva, whose naturally warm and gentle nature had an immense influence on how Tenn saw the world. However, there were times when Sophie feared for both of her siblings, as their golden hearts often seemed to get them into trouble in one way or another. There had been times where their good-naturedness had gotten some of their own people killed. Though it was difficult to think about, Sophie would remind herself that those had been accidents; and accidents in this world simply carried those consequences.

"So, what did Violet have to do this morning?" Sophie asked, changing the subject. Violet was Sophie's best friend and Minerva's girlfriend. She had asked the pair to cover her spot in the hunting party this morning the night before.

Minerva shrugged. "Dunno. Something about the greenhouse." Sophie cocked an eyebrow and tugged her lips into a mischievous grin.

"Sounds to me that you were too busy making heart eyes at her to listen too closely, hm?" Sophie teased. Minerva's face started to glow bright red.

"T-that's not true!" Minerva sputtered. Sophie raised her eyebrow higher and narrowed her eyes. "I was just-," Strands of Minerva's long red hair curtained her embarrassed expression. "She just didn't make it seem that important," Minerva finally said once she gathered her words. She gently brushed the hair out of her face. "It was no big deal, really."

"Oh sure, sure," Sophie affirmed, tauntingly.

"Besides," Minerva continued. "It's not like we had anything better to do this morning!"

"Uh, how 'bout sleep?" Sophie replied.

"Well, I'm a morning person anyway!" Minerva rebutted.

"That's true," Sophie confirmed. "You are obnoxiously chipper for my liking at the asscrack of dawn!" Sophie gave her sister some loving jabs to her side.

"And you're overwhelmingly ornery for my liking at the asscrack of dawn!" Minerva retorted. The girls started to laugh.

"What's with the ass-themed comments this morning?" Marlon asked as he turned his head halfway to face the twins.

"I guess they're just the butt of my jokes today," Sophie replied. The kids threw their heads back in hearty laughs.

The little party continued to hike through the woods. The sun's head had fully risen, and was now casting a warm glow to the slumberous earth below it. The light gently stroked the frost away from the trees and plants, as a mother strokes her child's hair away from their face. The cold breeze had settled slightly, slowing down into a warm whisper. Scratches and rustles echoed across the forest as animals started their morning routines. The birds were now singing an angelic chorus of merry songs to the residents of the woodland.

The vibrant energy that slowly began to spread across the area gave the teens a jolt of heightened alertness. Soon enough, everyone was on their toes. Each step was made with caution and purpose. All of the kids listened closely for any sort of scuttling or scratching. Their muscles were tight and tensed, ready to break into action at any moment.

"Hey!" Brody suddenly called out in a whisper. "Check it out!" She motioned her head towards a crooked birch tree where a rope trap had been set by the kids to catch small prey. A medium-sized rabbit was dangling upside-down by its back foot, struggling and thrashing to break free. Alarm edged its soft chirps. The four quickly snuck over to the trap.

"Looks like a good size," Marlon assessed. Sophie untied the squirming creature and lowered a hand onto its soft head. _Sorry about this, little fella._ She shut her eyes tight as she snapped its neck. She didn't want to look it in the eye as she killed it. The sensation of its bone cracking beneath her hand sent shivers up Sophie's spine, making goosebumps ripple across her neck. Minerva let out a little moan of discomfort. Marlon and Brody grimaced their teeth and shuttered.

"Now there's a sound you can never get used to," Brody remarked.

Sophie passed the rabbit to Brody who hauled it over her shoulder.

"C'mon. I bet we could find some good game near the edge of the Safe Zone," Marlon urged. "We haven't hunted there in weeks, so the wildlife should have returned by now."

The Safe Zone was the Ericson's kids' territory where they hunted and gathered all of their resources. It stretched roughly a couple of miles and was only growing smaller. When Walkers first took the throne of the earth, Marlon declared the Safe Zone border all the way to the edge of their share of the Ohio River. With a whole four miles of territory and the river, early days of the new world were bountiful. But then a classmate named Dewey had been dragged and drowned by a Walker into the River. After that, Marlon pulled the Safe Zone a half mile away from it, and nobody was allowed near it again. Then another classmate, Erin, was killed after a Walker snagged her by the ponytail. The Safe Zone grew smaller. Then Trey was struck and killed by a faulty log trap. Marlon pulled back the Safe Zone again. Then Maddi mysteriously disappeared. Then Stephanie got bitten. Then Alex cut his leg on some rusty fence and died of infection. Then Lamar and Therissa vanished completely. This happened again and again. And each time Marlon would pull the border back closer and closer to the school. The kids were to avoid leaving the Safe Zone at all costs. Sophie would fight him on it every time, saying how it only limited their resources further and further. "Would you rather risk an accident and be well fed or starve to death?" she would always argue. But Marlon would shut her down every time, calmly claiming he was just trying to keep everyone safe. He would tell her he only wanted what was best for everyone, and promised to keep her safe. He would swear on his life to protect her because "that's what family does."

The hunters traveled closer and closer to the border of the Safe Zone, which was located almost directly in the middle of the woodland. Scars etched into the oaks and maples marked the edge. The group walked along the invisible wall that supposedly kept them out of harm's way. Marlon suddenly threw a hand over Sophie's chest, indicating the group to stop. The four instantly crouched down and ducked behind a nearby black huckleberry bush.

"I spy a hare," Marlon whispered to the girls. Sophie cautiously peered her head around the bush to catch a glimpse at their target. She had to squint to see the little brown dot that grazed politely in a clearing about fifteen yards away.

"I see it," Sophie affirmed.

"Box-in attack?" Marlon proposed. The girls nodded in agreement. "Okay, Brody you take cover under the huckleberry bush that's a few yards ahead." Brody nodded in confirmation and pulled her bow up and off her back. "I'll take the oak off to the left of Brody," Marlon said, pulling his own bow off of his back.

"Okay, Minnie and I will take the long way around and push the rabbit towards you guys. Marlon, I'll signal you if you should take the shot. Brody, Minnie will signal you if you have a better shot." Sophie added.

"Hare," Marlon corrected.

"What?" Sophie questioned.

"You said rabbit. That's a hare."

"Does it matter? They look identical and both get the job done of making sure we don't starve to death," Sophie argued.

"Well, hares are much larger than rabbits and their colors change depending on the season," Marlon informed. "Plus, rabbits are more skittish and tend to hide verses hares who would rather run or fight." The boy raised an eyebrow. "It's pretty important when hunting to know how they'll behave, or you might lose a good meal."

Sophie rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the information, Park Ranger Smartass!"

"See! There you go again with the ass," Marlon retorted. Minerva giggled.

"Just get into position!" Sophie ordered.

The band dispersed. Like a breeze silently billowing the leaves, the twins noiselessly scrambled over the forest floor. Each step was made with great intricacy, carefully avoiding cracking twigs or rustling undergrowth. They slunk quietly side by side until they had reached the edge of the clearing. Minerva took a hiding spot directly in front of where Brody was hiding about eighteen yards away behind a thick, rotting log. She collapsed belly down and waited. Sophie squeezed in between some dense shrubbery, allowing her red hair to camouflage her into the autumn foliage. Her spot was almost directly in front of Marlon, which gave her plenty of room to signal him without alarming the hare.

The hare continued to happily nibble away at the receding grass, completely unaware of the four pairs of hungry eyes locked onto it. The hunters waited in still silence, tightly holding their breaths. Once they knew for sure the hare was completely oblivious, Minerva ever so softly clawed at the rotting bark on her log. The hare's ears flicked up and raised its head. It waited a few heartbeats, flicking its long ears in every direction. It hopped a few paces away towards Sophie, who lightly tapped the ground with her shoes. The hare halted once more and listened. Uncomfortable with the whispery rousing of its surroundings, the hare hopped a few yards closer to Marlon and Brody. Both hunters were still as statues, bows raised and pulled back. Their eyes were narrowed and unblinking. The hare continued its breakfast of dying grass. Sophie tapped her foot again, this time a little more urgently. The hare moved once more, shuffling closer the Marlon. Sophie slowly started to raise her hand to signal Marlon to take the shot. Each movement was made with careful and calculated purpose. Her eyes never fell off the little creature. Sophie stretched out her fingers to signal Marlon to shoot when all of a sudden;

_BANG!_

A thunderous boom sounded off right beside Sophie's head, causing her to lose her footing and tumble to the ground in surprise. Darkness swelled up in her vision. A piercing ringing started screaming in her ear. For a brief moment, Sophie wondered if she was dead. Just as quickly as it had arrived, the darkness receded and the ringing began to fade. _What the fuck...?_ After sluggishly gathering her senses, Sophie raised her head from her spot on the ground and saw that the hare had been shot; not with an arrow, but with a bullet.

"Oops!" a deep voice rumbled behind Sophie. "My bad."

Sophie whipped her head around to see a tower of a man looming over her. His greasy, greying black hair was slicked back onto his neck. His eyes were startlingly dark, almost black. His thick eyebrows pushed his dark eyes down into a half squint. His chapped lips were curled into a malicious grin, with some of his yellowing teeth glimmering through. His dark five-o'clock shadow pressed starkly against his ivory skin. His powerful jawline was sharp and rigid. A deep scar cut through his left cheek and trickled onto his lips. Another scar sliced across his throat. He had on an unzipped, dark grey bomber jacket with a white tank underneath. The upper half of a large tattoo of angel wings was visible on his chest. A revolver glistened in his left hand. Sophie thought he was handsome in the most disgusting way possible.

An animalistic fear wrapped a hand around Sophie's neck. Her brain told her to either leap up and bolt away as quickly as her long legs could take her, or lunge for his face with the knife that dangled from her hip. But neither happened. She could only lay there in horror and stare up at this stranger and wonder what his intentions where.

"Didn't mean to startle ya there!" the stranger said, disingenuity leaking from his voice. He lowered a large, outstretched hand in an offering to help Sophie up. Anger started to edge Sophie's fear. _Who does this asshole think he is, trespassing on our territory and ruining our hunt?_ Sophie remained on the ground, both out of defiance and the fear that still had her by the throat. She narrowed her eyes and frowned. The man let out a gravely chuckle and leaned down to haul Sophie up by the hood. He jerked her to her feet so hard that it knocked the wind out of her as a small "oof!" escaped her throat. Sophie dusted herself off of dirt and leaves and gazed into the man's shadowy eyes. Sophie had always considered herself freakishly tall, but this stranger made her feel absolutely puny. His face seemed so far away. The distance obscured some of his facial details. He was the first adult Sophie had seen since the school's faculty had left Ericson's. By now, Sophie expected to at least be near-adult height. This man gave her second thoughts on those expectations.

"What's a kid like you doin' all alone out here? It's pretty dangerous to be out here all by yourself," the stranger questioned.

Sophie opened her mouth to reply, but no words came tumbling out. They were being held down by the fear that was lodged in her throat.

"Got anyone out here with you?" he asked. Sophie's mouth continued to move without sound.

"Got any people at all?" he pressed. "Yes, no, maybe?"

At this point, the only way Sophie could communicate was through terrified facial expressions. The stranger blinked a few times and took a massive hand and slicked back his hair. "Let me start over," he began. "Name's Jasper. Uh, let's see here..."

He started counting on his fingers. "No, I am not a cannibal. No, I am not a Whisperer. No, I do not want to sacrifice you to some Walker-god voodoo shit. No, I am not a Feral. No, I am not a-," Jasper looked to the sky in thought.

"Ah...Oh what other wack ass groups are in this area?" he mumbled to himself. Sophie cocked her head in confusion. She had no idea what this strange man was rambling on about.

"Ah fuck it. I haven't really gotten the hang of this whole please-don't-shoot-my-face greeting etiquette yet. I miss the days when a simple fuckin' 'Hello, how are you?' would suffice!" Jasper drew his attention back to Sophie. "Anyway, I'm a pretty nice guy is all you need to know." Sophie remained silent. _Yeah, right. Because nice guys definitely manhandle people they've just met._

"So, whatcha call yourself, kid?" Rather than answering, Sophie shut her lips tighter.

"Alright then," Jasper replied to her silence. "Parents raised you to not talk to strangers." He started to turn his back on her. "I get it, I get it. Solid advice. Or maybe you're just not a talker! That's cool, too." he said, walking into the clearing.

Sophie carefully followed him with her eyes, intensely focused on his every movement. He bent over to examine the fallen hare. Just past Jasper, Sophie caught a pair of sharp blue eyes peeking from an oak tree. Marlon was completely flat and crouched against the tree, face locked in an expression of raw fear. Sophie could tell from his quivering torso that he was hyperventilating. _Do something! Help me!_ She silently urged him to take action. _Fire a bow into this fucker! Or throw a rock or chase him away. Something! Anything!_ But instead, her mature, strategic, level-headed, and responsible leader cowered beneath a tree, looking as if he were about to burst into tears. Sophie turned her attention to Brody's hiding spot. She couldn't see her, but knew her anxious friend's face was white as a ghost and was probably doing everything she could to not pass out.

For as much as Sophie wanted to keep her eyes on the intruder, she had to check on her sister. She hesitantly turned her head to her right. Minerva was crouched down behind her log, hidden away. Her blue eyes were bright with panic and uncertainty. Her lips were pulled back into a fearful grimace. Her long, red hair strayed into her face. Sophie imagined the two must look like mirrored images of the same petrified expression. She was taking tiny, rapid breaths, as if she were to breathe too loud and alert Jasper of her presence. She remained perfectly still, as if she hoped she could camouflage herself into the rotting wood. The only movement she made was a very small, reassuring nod to her sister. Sophie wasn't sure what Minerva was trying to reassure her of, but it gave her a small flutter of confidence. Sophie gave a small nod back.

"Whatcha lookin at there, spider legs?" Jasper suddenly called out. Sophie's eyes popped open and every muscle jolted beneath her skin. A small gasp fled from her lips. Every fiber of her being was screeching at her to book it, but her feet were nailed to the ground with terror. Jasper started marching towards Minerva's hiding spot. In a panic, Sophie mouthed for her sister to run. Minerva remained frozen; boots rooted to the forest floor.

"Run," Sophie barely whispered. Minerva twitched her muscles, willing her body to listen to her sister's command.

"Run," Sophie repeated, a little louder. Minerva began to breathe harder and faster, trying to ready herself for the bolt. Jasper stalked closer and closer to the log.

Sophie forced herself to take a big, shaky gulp of air and shouted;

_"RUN!"_

Sophie watched as blood rushed to Minerva's face as she began her hasty scramble away from her hiding spot. Her long legs kicked up dirt and forest debris as she launched herself up and into a run. Not three feet into her break to safety, Minerva slammed face first into the chest of an adult woman who had appeared from behind a nearby tree. Minerva went stumbling backwards and crashed into the ground with a loud thud. Sophie could hear her sister's panicked gasps as she backed up and recoiled against the rotting log. The woman was unphased by the blow to her chest and steadily marched forward to Sophie's cornered sister. The woman had a face of stone etched in a permanent expression of sternness and solemnity. Her short, mousy-brown strands of hair were stiff and neatly laid down against her head. She carried herself with great purpose, with shoulders back and chin held up. The woman looked from Minerva to Sophie back and forth several times.

"Well look what we have here, Jasper," she called, mockingly. "Twins!" She hauled up Minerva by the collar of her fleece jacket, who let out a squeak of surprise by the sudden movement.

"Well, I'll be damned!" Jasper suddenly grabbed Sophie by the hood again, startling her. "And here I thought I was seein' double!" The man started to drag Sophie into the clearing. The woman dragged a limp and terrified Minerva to the same spot the hare was shot. Sophie's fear began to heat up and boil into a searing fury. She started to thrash and pull away from Jasper's firm grasp.

"Let me go!" Sophie yowled between effortful grunts. "Let me go, you filthy son of a bitch!"

"Oh ho! She can talk!" Jasper said, amusement trickling from his rough voice. "And quite the mouth she's got on her!" Sophie gave a hard kick to the back of Jasper's calf, causing him to slightly buckle.

"Fuck you!" she yelled out.

"Bit of a damn scrapper, too!" he added, tossing Sophie to the ground next to her sister. "That'll be put to good use."

The twins cowered tightly against one another, softly whimpering. Minerva grabbed Sophie's hand and buried her face in her sister's shoulder. Sophie gave her hand a comforting squeeze. Both adults were now looming over them like a couple of wolves about to devour a lamb. Jasper had a spiteful grin plastered across his face. The woman with a face of stone cleared her throat.

"Right. Let's get down to business. My name is Lilly, and I am a scouter and soldier from an over three-hundred strong community known up river as The Delta," she introduced. "I'll just cut to the chase. I have a proposition for you girls." Her hard face curled into a tight smile. Sophie found herself pressing her body even further against her sister. Minerva was violently trembling, and was uttering tiny, frightful squeaks into Sophie's ear. Sophie suddenly became overwhelmed with the urge to protect her sister, the sensation squashing any fear that kept her quiet. The words punched through the terror that had kept her throat tight and shut.

"What proposition?" Sophie snarled.

"It's one you really won't be able to refuse!" Jasper chimed in.

Lilly leaned down to the twins' heap, getting no more than a foot away from Sophie's face. "Well you see," she began. "We are one of the strongest and most prosperous communities for miles. We have electricity, running water, impenetrable barriers, livestock, crops, medicine, and just about every other luxury taken for granted back in the days before Walkers." Lilly slightly relaxed her intimidating stance. "And we were wondering if you two would consider joining us!" Sophie threw up an eyebrow and narrowed her eyes. She tightened her lips back into a stern frown. _Well if that isn't the biggest bowl of shit I've ever been served._

"What's the catch?" Sophie asked, cautiously.

Lilly shrugged. "Nothing, really," she answered. "We only ask that you help us out in protecting the group. It's practically getting a stable and functional home for next to nothing!"

"Quite the steal, if I've ever seen one!" Jasper tacked on, acting as Lilly's hype man.

"If you two join us, you'll never have to feel the pain of hunger ever again. Never have to sleep with one eye open in the safety behind the community walls. Never have to fear looters stealing your life-saving supplies while your back is turned," Lilly went on, as if she were talking about some extravagant cruise.

"Thanks, but we've really never gone through any of that to begin with," Sophie lied. Truth was, Sophie and her sister had known the sharp, hollowed ache in their bellies that winter food-shortages annually brought on. Every kid at Ericson's felt them every single year. They had always slept with one eye open; it was kind of hard not to in a world like this. They had known the anxiety of being robbed by some passersby who either was unaware of the kids' existence, or just didn't care. Sophie knew Lilly could tell she was lying. The older woman's eyes narrowed and a mischievous grin grew across her face.

"I see," Lilly said doubtfully.

"And I'm not making any decisions without my leader present," Sophie declared. Lilly's eyes lit up.

"Oh! Your leader, huh?"

"Shit," Sophie muttered to herself. _My big fuckin' mouth…_

"Well, I'd certainly like to meet them! And the rest of your group! Here I was thinking you ladies were out here all by yourselves!" Lilly said with rustic glee.

A loud squeal followed by the ruffling of a struggle echoed from the huckleberry bush where Brody had been hiding.

"Caught us another one, right here!" a new, gritty voice piped. A thin, scraggly-looking man hauled Brody up by a fistful of her reddish-blonde hair. She squirmed and whimpered in discomfort. Her blue eyes where wide with panic, and her face was paled and sweaty. She looked like a deer with a wolf's jaws around her neck.

"Brody!" the twins cried simultaneously.

"Oh good! More future recruits!" Lilly commented.

The new stranger dragged a wiggling Brody by the hair and her rabbit into the center of the clearing with the twins. He plopped the rabbit on top of the dead hare. He tossed Brody onto the ground next to the sister huddle. Sophie heard the wind forcefully escape her lungs as she hit the firm forest floor. Brody promptly clambered next to the girls, pressing her body against Sophie and Minerva. Her breathing was fast, and her fearful whimpers where much louder than Minerva's. Sophie grabbed Brody's hand with the hand that wasn't holding her sister's. The newcomer joined the group of grown-ups who were staring the kids down like they were pieces of fresh meat. His different colored eyes made him look more unsettling and reptilian, more so than Jasper's deep, blackened eyes.

"Now, I'm sure you heard my whole ramble while you were cowering in the bushes," Lilly said to Brody. The panic-stricken girl gave a few stiff nods. "Well the same proposition applies to you!" Lilly announced as if Brody had just won a prize.

"Now, if one of you lovely ladies could tell us where and who your leader is, we can make this whole scouting thing go a lot faster!" Jasper stated. All three girls remain quiet.

"C'mon now, it'll make this a whole lot easier on everyone if you're cooperative with us," the new intruder added.

Sophie raised a lip and scrunched up her face. "We don't have to tell you a damn thing!"

Lilly sighed and Jasper threw his head back in exasperation.

"Alright, I suppose we'll scope it out later," Lilly resided. "Abel? Jasper? Why don't you show our new friends what more we have to offer back on the boat?'

Jasper clasped his hands together. "With pleasure, ma'am!" The man with different colored eyes who was apparently called Abel broke into a crooked smile accompanied by a throaty chuckle. He bent down and swiftly heaved Brody up by the hair. She let out an ear-shattering shriek. This time, she put up a panicked-induced fight. She squirmed and thrashed. Screamed and hollered. Punched and kicked. The scrawny man had a difficult time getting a handle on her.

"God...dammit!" Abel grunted. He finally kicked out both of her legs and grabbed her by the collar of her jacket, dragging her along the ground. Brody continued to squeal and wail at the top of her lungs.

"Help! Help! Help me please!" she cried in between screeches. "Fuck, no! Help!"

Jasper chuckled as he grabbed fistfuls of the twins' long red hair.

"Ya'll got some fight in ya!" He heaved them up to their feet. "Love to see it!" Sophie was too busy watching Brody's struggle to put up much of her own. Minerva had a death grip on her sister's hand. She was squeezing so hard, Sophie could feel her nails digging into her skin, breaking the soft flesh that started welling up with blood. The burning sensation of Jasper grip on her scalp and the rage that was bubbling in her gut distracted Sophie from the cuts being inflicted by her sister's desperate grasp.

Abel was throwing Brody to the ground with every step, trying to knock the fight out of her. Her hair was flying everywhere and dirt clung to her clothes with each toss. She jerked her body in every direction she could, desperate to break free. Her violent thrashing suddenly ceased. Something behind an oak tree had caught her eye.

"MARLON!" she cried out.

Abel and Jasper halted. Everyone turned head to the direction of her cry. Jasper promptly released the twins and slithered over to the oak. Sophie willed her body to run. _Run. Run right now._ Her legs remained rooted to the ground. _Move your worthless legs, now!_ Minerva's hand kept Sophie's body completely still, no matter how loud her instinct to make a break for it was.

Marlon darted into the direction where the group first came, not daring to look back. His hasty escape only lasted a few yards before Jasper tackled him to the ground as easily as a lion taking down a gazelle. The adult man picked Marlon up and off the floor by the collar of his Ericson's shirt until his feet no longer touched the ground. In comparison to Jasper's massive figure, Marlon looked like a kitten being dangled by the scruff of its neck. The boy squirmed and swore.

"Let me go! Fuck! Let. Me. Go!" he sputtered. His typically mellow and soft-toned voice was now high-pitched and crackled with fear.

"Please leave me alone! I didn't do anything wrong!" he begged. Jasper had no trouble carrying him to the center of the clearing where the twins remained. Abel dragged a wiggling and still whimpering Brody back to the center.

"Anybody else?" Jasper asked the panicked group. Everyone rapidly shook their heads.

"Okay!" Jasper announced. "Now, quite frankly, I'm starting to get a little goddamn impatient!" His friendly tone was now edged with annoyance. "Listen, I'm a nice guy, but if you kids don't start cooperating, it's gonna start pissing me off!"

"Yeah," Abel agreed. "Might have to start gettin' a little rougher if you don't start rattin'!"

"Now, who is your leader?" Lilly demanded. "And where is your community located?"

All three girls looked to Marlon, who was shivering and biting his lower lip. His blue eyes shimmered with terror.

"C'mon now, we all have better shit to be doing today," Abel urged. Silence answered his comment.

"Somebody better start talking soon, or Mister Brutus here will have to have a chat with you kids!" Jasper warned as he pulled out a large, steel knife from inside his jacket. Sophie felt her friends and sister flinch against each other as the knife slid out with a sharp _schink_ sound.

"Jasper..." Lilly said in a warning tone. "Relax."

Lilly crouched down to the group's level. "We promise we only wanna talk. Negotiations can come later. Now, who is your leader?"

Sophie gave Marlon a nudge with her elbow. He met Lilly's eyes like a deer in headlights. Seeing her leader so afraid opened up a wide pit in Sophie's stomach. The pit started to envelope any confidence or defiance Sophie had gained from the instinct to protect her sister.

"Say something!" Sophie desperately whispered to Marlon. He swallowed hard and blinked the tears from his eyes back.

"I-I...I," Marlon stammered. "I am." His gaze instantly flew down to his lap as he answered Lilly's question. Her eyes flickered with surprise.

"You?" Lilly reiterated. "You're the leader?" She sounded almost skeptical.

"You gotta be fucking joking!" Abel laughed. "This kid?" Marlon's eyes where shut tight, as if he were trying to wish himself away. "Alright, good joke. Solid gut-buster. But for real, who's in charge?"

"I am!" Marlon announced, a little louder. He was trying to sound brave, but Sophie could hear the uncertainty breaking through his voice. Marlon raised his head.

"It's-It's just the f-four of us out here," he lied. Lilly's lips tugged into a soft smile as her eyes lightly closed.

"Oh, kid. Marlon was it?" Lilly gently grabbed Marlon's face with her hand, bringing his face closer to hers. "Listen, Marlon. There's a lot of dos and don'ts in this world. Always has been, and always will be. And one of those don'ts will forever be to _never_ lie to me." Sophie felt Marlon start to violently tremble.

"T-There's a community of us!" Marlon blurted.

"Where?"

"E-east of here. P-past the old barn." Marlon's body went rigid as he scratched the back of his neck.

Sophie flinched. _Of all the times for you to be a terrible liar…_

Lilly rolled her eyes and let out a loose sigh. "Okay, Jasper. Give them some encouragement."

Before Lilly could even finish her statement, Jasper yanked Brody up by collar and pressed his knife against her throat. She yowled in surprise, but was immediately hushed by the cold steel grazing her neck.

"Brody!" Marlon cried out, horrified.

Lilly pulled his face back towards her own. "Let's get something straight, leader to leader. I want you to take me seriously, Marlon. I did not come with the intention to play games. I came on business only. If you continue to try and play games with me, I will play. And I will _win_."

Marlon let out a fearful groan. "It's a school up north of here! Please don't hurt her!"

"We won't as long as you keep this cooperative attitude up!" Lilly told him. "Now, you say your base is a school, yes?" Marlon nodded into her hand. "Are there any adults to take care of you kids, Marlon?" Sophie watched as Marlon's face contorted and twisted. _C'mon Marlon, I know you're better than this. You can get us out of this mess._ Sophie couldn't tell if he was concocting a plan and carefully selecting his next few words, or if he was fighting back the urge to vomit.

"Y-yes," he barely whispered. "T-there's some teachers that stayed behind and..."

Lilly raised an eyebrow and motioned at Jasper.

"Sorry about this, honey," he said to Brody. His voice was completely devoid of sort of sympathy or sincerity. Brody's breathing quickened. Jasper slowly rose his knife away from Brody's neck and dragged it gingerly across her right cheek. Brody winced and let out a tense groan through her clenched teeth. Blood dribbled from the horizontal cut and down to her jaw. Tears welled up in Brody's eyes.

"Stop it!" Minerva suddenly cried. "Stop hurting her, please!" Sophie was surprised by her soft-spoken sister's outburst. Sophie looked down at her own hand where blood was drying from where Minerva's nails continued to dig into.

"Well, maybe if your leader would just work with us here, I wouldn't have to do this," Jasper reasoned. He turned to Marlon. "How 'bout now, sonny boy?"

"No! There are no adults! They all abandoned us at the start." Marlon exclaimed. "It's just kids. No one older than sixteen."

"That's more like it," Lilly purred. "How many kids?"

"Twelve," Marlon admitted in a defeated tone. "There's twelve." He sounded like a wounded puppy.

"See? Now we're getting somewhere so much faster!" Lilly praised, letting go of the boy's face. Lilly motioned again to Jasper. The man nodded and pulled the knife away from Brody's cheek and shoved her back down to the ground with the other teens. She feebly crawled over to the group and curled up next to the twins. With their free hands, the girls looked over the cut across her face. It wasn't terribly deep, but was definitely enough to hurt. Brody's pupils were engulfing her watery blue irises in pools of black. Despite the fall chill, sweat began to bead around her forehead. The girl's head started to wobble as she fought to remain conscious. Sophie and Minerva made comforting hushing sounds and held her head steady.

"Now," Lilly began as she stood up. "It's time to negotiate." Rather than manhandle Marlon as the other two men had done to the group, Lilly offered a hand to help the boy stand up. Marlon hesitantly grabbed her hand. She put a hand on his back and walked him a few feet away from the pile of teens, who remained under the looming figures of Abel and Jasper. Marlon faced away from his friends as Lilly spoke to him. Sophie held her breath as she watched her leader 'negotiate.' _Whatever that means…_

"I'm not here to take any one of your people away from you if you don't want them to go," Lilly began. "We aren't like some of these assholes who pillage and steal. Or at least, we don't have to be." Marlon glanced at the girls over his shoulder. Sophie watched as Lilly drew his face back to her with a finger underneath his chin.

"But we need some serious help over at our at community. It's a good home, as I'm sure you heard me describe. Actual bad people want to destroy what we've worked so hard to build," she went on. "That's why we're out here collecting new members. To ensure our community has enough people to support it."

Marlon was noticeably fidgeting, and he kept sneaking glances over his shoulder at the group. "We have plenty of resources to not only keep you all alive, but enough to keep you comfortable. All we want in return is a little bit of help wherever we need it to keep the group strong and stable." Lilly cocked her neck past Marlon to get a look at the girls. Sophie could feel Brody's body huffing and sputtering and she failed to hold back tears. Minerva hid her face in the crook of her sister's neck. Lilly started to talk in a hushed tone, barely audible for Sophie to hear.

"How many kids have you lost since this all began?" she asked solemnly.

Marlon sighed. "Too many," he muttered, voice breaking.

"I see," Lilly said. "I'm sorry to hear you've lost so much." Sophie couldn't tell if she was being sincerely apologetic or if she was just better at faking it than Jasper.

"So young. So much pain and suffering," she trailed off. Marlon nodded. Sophie gritted her teeth. _Don't let her fool you, Marlon._

Lilly glanced between the girls and Marlon. "We can save some of them Marlon, give them the safety and comfort you can't." Marlon's head dropped, deep in thought.

"You don't have to be responsible for anymore death or misery! We can _rescue_ you and your people!" The way Lilly said "rescue" caused a sour taste to spread across Sophie's tongue.

Lilly put a hand on Marlon's shoulder. "None of what's happened to your people is your fault. Being the leader of a community puts a lot of weight and pressure on a kid. Let _us_ help lift that pressure." Marlon started to scratch at the back of his neck.

"Well..." he muttered

"You don't think he's actually considering this bullshit, do you?" Sophie whispered to Minerva.

"I think he is," she replied.

"God help us," Brody murmured.

"What do you say, Marlon?" Lilly asked. There was a long pause. Screaming silence pierced the air. The only sound Sophie could hear was the drumming of her own hammering heart. Brody and Minerva held their breaths.

"N-no. I-I can't," Marlon stammered. "I-I can't give you any of my p-people." He tried puffing out his chest and squaring his shoulders to make his stance seem firm, but his wobbling legs and sweaty face gave away his nervousness. _Bless him, but he wears his heart on his sleeve._

"Oh," Lilly uttered, surprised. "Oh, no, no. You misunderstood me." Confusion twisted up Sophie's face. Though his back was still turned to her, Sophie knew Marlon shared a similar expression.

"We are taking somebody here, today. At least one person. We can't return to the Delta without help. We made a promise to our people back home!" A rippling sensation of fear tore through Sophie in an almost electrifying feeling.

"But you said you wouldn't take any of my people if you didn't want them to go!" Marlon spouted, sounding hurt.

"Yes! We won't! I was alluding to taking you along instead," Lilly answered as if that had been obvious. "I don't care who, but we need _someone."_

"W-what if I-I didn't let you take anyone?" Marlon dared. The three adults looked at each other, followed by the two men exploding into laughter.

"What the hell are you gonna do, kid? Shoot spitballs at us? Throw a paper airplane?" Abel chuckled. "Maybe chuck a few rocks at our cars if you're feelin' extra angsty?"

"Oh! Oh! No, they'll shove us all into lockers and write mean things about us on bathroom walls and desks!" Jasper mocked.

"Or they'll meet us up on the playground and give us some wicked purple nurples and Indian burns!" Abel ridiculed.

"Don't forget the swirlies!" Jasper added. "Or the wedgies!" By now, both men were cackling.

"Alright, enough!" Lilly scolded. "Dumbasses."

Lilly leaned back down to Marlon. "Then we will have to come and rescue all of you. And we'll have to use our guns and weapons to keep all of those kids in line. And nobody here wants to do that."

Marlon turned his head to look at Sophie and the others. His face was panic-stricken. Sophie tensed her muscles and silently urged him in her head. _Don't choke. Think this through._

"Just pick one. I promise you that they'll be safe with us," Lilly coaxed. Sophie could not remain silent any longer.

"You don't know that, Marlon! She could be lying to you! You know as well as I do that all adults do is lie!" Sophie shouted. A sudden kick to her side puffed the breath up and out of her lungs.

"Shut up!" Abel sneered. "Let the boy think for himself."

"Marlon, listen to her!" Brody called. "We can't trust the word of anyone forcing you to give up one of your own!" Jasper slid his knife back out and hovered it over Brody's left cheek.

"Don't make me markup that pretty face of yours anymore," Jasper warned. Brody cowered into herself, looking like a scolded puppy.

"Just. One," Lilly whispered. "Give us one and save the rest." Time suddenly spun. It somehow felt like it was going too fast while at a halt. It was racing with feet cemented to the floor. It could not move, yet was already gone. Sophie could hear Lilly and the other men coaxing her leader a little more, but the thunderous roar of blood in her ears drowned it out.

Finally, Marlon cracked. "One of the twins!" The blood in Sophie's ears ceased their bellowing. Her heart froze in shock. Her jaw fell slacked. Her rushing thoughts suddenly came to a screeching halt. The trees and forestry around her seemed to start melting into the earth into a crumbling darkness. Dizziness seized her consciousness. _He...he can't be serious…_

"W-what?" Minerva whispered in disbelief beside her.

"One of the twins. Just leave Brody and the rest of my people alone!" Marlon exclaimed.

_You...Bastard._

Lilly's devilish grin returned to her face. "How 'bout I do you one better? Throw in both twins and you won't have to see us again for at least a year. We'll come back again with the same offer."

"Deal," Marlon agreed, shame echoing in his voice.

"Well, what a bargain! Two sets of hands. Wonderful!" Abel said, delighted.

Lilly straightened herself up and grabbed Marlon's limp hand and shook it. "Pleasure doing business with you, Marlon!" she said, politely. "I hope we meet again."

"No, no, no," Minerva repeated over and over. "No, no, no." When Sophie's shock finally bled away, fury erupted in her gut.

"You-You son of a bitch! You promised to keep us safe!" Jasper hauled both twins up and yanked their hands apart. Marlon did not meet Sophie's gaze. "You fucking promised!" Sophie was now kicking and fighting so hard that both Abel and Jasper were needed to tie up her hands with zip ties. "You promised!" She was hollering so loud that the Walkers were responding to her wounded bellows with their own in the distance. Once the twins' hands were tied, Abel grabbed each one by the arm and started to lead them away past the border of the Safe Zone. Brody stared after the girls in horror, conflict and fear yanking and pulling her expression around.

"Brody, help us! Please!" Sophie called out desperately. Brody opened her mouth to reply, but was cut off by Marlon shooting past her and into the trees. Brody gave the girls one last look of pity, and mouthed "I'm sorry" before bolting after Marlon as fast as her legs could carry her. Neither of them looked back.

"Alright, let's get a move on, ladies!" Jasper announced. The adults started to lead them further and further away from their home. Sophie could only desperately watch as it got smaller and farther away. Sophie spied a small brown heap in the center of the clearing. It was the rabbit and the hare, forgotten and left behind to rot. Killed with the intention of helping sustain the group, only to be tossed away to be eaten by maggots as if their lives meant nothing. The feeling of betrayal began to crush Sophie's chest. But maybe, not all was lost. Sophie remembered the sticky situations Marlon had gotten the group out of in the past. His quick-wit and calm nature had always come through in times of struggle and strife. Why wouldn't it now? He was a strategist, a true leader. She suddenly felt bad for screaming at him before his mad dash into the woods. _Shame on me for not giving my leader more credit._ There was no way Marlon would trade her and her sister away so easily like that. Especially not after everything the Ericson's kids had been through together. Sophie suddenly remembered all of her friends and family back at the school. She knew there was no way they could leave them behind. _Ha! Just wait until Violet gets a load of what these assholes did. She'll be marching up to these fuckheads cleaver in hand, ready to cut down anyone who stands in her way!_ The thought even made Sophie smile. _And Tennessee... there's no way Tenn is gonna stop heckling the others until a rescue is on its way._ Sophie felt a tiny flicker of hope in her chest. She caught one last look at the rabbit and hare before the Safe Zone tree line vanished beyond the horizon.

_Maybe they'll even come back for you, too._


	2. Drowning the Flames

The woods were silent. Wide awake, but entirely mute. A tense stillness rippled through the forest. The ground and earth below felt swollen, as if it were holding its breath. The woodland was watching, its omniscient eyes wide and unblinking. Birds quieted their chirping and singing. The trees hushed their rustling leaves. The undergrowth ceased its noisy whispering. The critters below the bushes and roots paused their scratchy scrambling. Everything was watching and listening. The sun pulled a curtain of clouds to hide her face from the uneasy atmosphere down below. She allowed herself a tiny hole to sneak a glimpse at the scene through the yellow treetops.

The only sound that tore through the thick silence was the crunching of heavy boots on dead leaves. The Delta raiders crashed through the anxious woods with their captives without much regard for their surroundings. The undergrowth groaned out in crackles and snaps as it was carelessly trampled. As the group strayed further and further towards the edge of the woods, the louder and louder everything else became. A horde of Walkers hollered hollow songs of misery from the distance. A wide, lonely river was roaring a deafening cry from afar. Some unfortunate animal bellowed an agony-entangled caterwaul into the air.

Sophie felt the world around her spinning. The edges of her vision felt hazy, as if she were trapped in some horrifying, unescapable dream. Nothing felt real. She wondered how this could have happened. How just that morning she'd been basking in the quiet stillness of dawn. How just that morning she and her friends were bantering around about ass-themed jokes. How just that morning, everyone had been chatting about mundane subjects such as clothes. How just that morning everything was _normal_. And now here she was, hands tied behind her back with Jasper's grubby grip leading her far away from her normal. Her normal that had started fading into a different reality. Even her beloved sister, who was being led by Abel a mere foot away from her, felt miles away in a time that did not exist.

"Alright, ladies!" Jasper spouted in a commanding tone. "We'll be reaching the Delta boat in about fifteen minutes. It's time to lay on some old-fashioned sailor etiquette!" His rumbling voice blared in Sophie's ears, even with his head far above her own. "You will be kind, quiet, and respectful during the entire time you are aboard the boat. No back-talking, no arguing, and certainly no violence!"

A light of rebellion illuminated inside Sophie's gut. _Pfft! Once the Ericson kids come back for us, you can forget about any respect or non-violence!_

"Any violation of those simple rules will result in appropriate punishment! This can range from a night without food or a firm whack to the jaw to cutting off..." Jasper paused and gave Sophie's wrists a little squeeze. "Well, hopefully you won't have to find out how far we'll go to ensure proper behavior." He uttered a low, husky chuckle.

"But don't think for a second we'll go easy on ya just cuz you're greenies." Abel told Minerva, jostling her wrists around a bit. "There isn't a whole lot of wiggle room for mistakes these days, ya know!" he teased. He and Jasper let out throaty smoker's laughs.

A stifled sniffling broke through Sophie's frazzled headspace, and she suddenly became conscious of her sister trudging along beside her. She pulled herself away from her daze to glance over at Minerva. Her sister's long red hair was dangling around her lowered face. The redness of the strands almost completely camouflaged her flushed cheeks and nose. Her vivid diamond eyes glittered through her hair. Sophie silently begged her sister to lift her head.

_Please look at me...Let me show you it's gonna be okay…_

Minerva must have felt her sister's eyes reading her, as she finally raised her head. The messy red strands peeled back to reveal wettened, scarlet-painted cheeks. Tears poured from the icy waters of her eyes. Her rosy lips were violently trembling as she restrained her cries. Her eyebrows pressed tightly against her eyelids, darkening her expression. Her shoulders shuttered with every breath she took.

The very sight made Sophie's own eyes swell up with tears. Seeing her sister so miserable and terrified was worse than the situation at hand itself. She knew she had to be strong for the both of them until they were free. Sophie blinked the tears back into the waves of her own baby blues and straightened her back. She puffed out her chest and put on her best brave face. It was the same brave face Sophie put on for her siblings whenever she had bad news to bare. Bad news such as "mom and dad aren't coming back for us," and "we lost another one of us out there." It was the brave face that made Sophie look angry and ready to fight, but in reality, was just her internal battle to not burst into a blubbering mess. She thought back to Marlon's own act of false bravery, and wondered if hers looked just as unconvincing.

"It's okay...I'm here," Sophie mouthed to her sister. Minerva gave a few harsh sniffles and attempted to raise her lips into a wobbly smile in return. The gesture made it even more difficult to keep it together. What was even worse than seeing her sister and brother so miserable was seeing them be miserable and try to pretend it was okay for her. _Her brother..._ Sophie was suddenly struck with a bolt of intrusive thought.

_Tenn…_

Her body answered her question in the form of involuntary tears scorching down her face. Sophie's headspace became so clouded with the mental image of her little brother, that she was crying before she even noticed it. Once she did notice it, it became uncontrollable. Fat tears raced down her thin cheeks. Air became harder to gulp down as she tried to restrain her sobs. Her body convulsed with each inhale, and rapidly quivered with each exhale. She had started crying so hard, she wasn't sure if she was even crying over Tenn anymore. She wondered if her body had just had enough of holding back, and was now officially giving her no say in expressing her stress from her involuntary circumstance.

"Oh, what's all this shit?" Jasper abruptly asked, annoyed. "Look at you two. Blubberin' and weepin' like two wounded lambs in a field." His comment only pushed the tears out of both girls harder.

"Oh, quit it now," Abel said, equally as annoyed. "That shit's gonna get on my nerves real fuckin' quick."

"It's a waste of valuable energy," Lilly advised. "You're quickly dehydrating yourselves, expediting an already exhausting action." Sophie softened her cries. _That's the smartest thing I've heard out of your mouth since we met. You're right, I need to save my energy for when we bust out of your shithole boat._

"You will learn very quickly that we do not waste anything around here. Not food. Not water. Not time. Not energy. _Not one damn thing,_ " Lilly warned. "It's one of the most important lessons to running a successful community. And if this is a lesson you fail to learn, you will be punished accordingly until you do learn."

Minerva continued to quietly sniffle beside Sophie.

"Now that we've got that cleared up," Jasper picked up. "Let's discuss your role in our little family once we arrive to the Delta."

The sisters traded nervous glances.

"You see, we got a real nice place back home," the man explained. "Hell, I'd even go as far as to say it's a survivor's paradise!" Jasper raised his eyebrow and pulled his lips back into a prideful grin. "Thing is, because it's so advanced and prosperous, we get a lot of crazy motherfuckers that wanna take it over and turn it to shit."

"So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain. It takes away the life of its owners," Abel quoted, lighting up a cigarette with his free hand. "'Tis the folly of man."

Jasper nodded in acknowledgement to Abel's verse. "Right. And we need some help protecting our home from these dirty sons of bitches."

Sophie felt suspicion prickle in her gut. "What does 'protecting' imply?" she asked, hesitation trickling through the cracks in her voice.

The three adults briefly fell silent and glanced at each other.

"Alright, I'm just gonna cut the sugar-laced candy man bullshittery," Jasper admitted. "We're in the middle of a large-scale war stretching from the outskirts of Pittsburgh to Richmond. The truth of the matter is, we need strong, capable young'uns like yourselves to help us fight this thing."

The twins exchanged frightful looks.

"Oh, but don't worry! Soldier life isn't as bad as one would initially believe! Besides, you'll be treated with the utmost respect and love by the people of the Delta," Jasper said, attempting to sound chipper. "You'll be hailed as heroes!"

"And more importantly," Lilly added. "You'll find a true family with us and your fellow recruits."

Sophie felt a nauseating anger sizzle up in her throat. _You're as much my family as a Walker is a person…_

"I know how you two must be feeling right now," Lilly consoled. "But I promise every newcomer takes to us just fine eventually."

Sophie narrowed her eyes at the ground.

_We'll see about that._ She closed her eyes and sent a silent plea for her Ericson's family to hurry with the rescue.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The brief remainder of the walk to the Delta boat was quiet. Everyone was too waterlogged in their own rivers of worries to say much of anything. The forest's eyes burned into their backs as they left the final tree line behind. Just beyond the watchful trees rested the Ohio River. Sophie and her sister had not been here in well over five years. Everything appeared eerily the same. The willows and cottonwoods still bore their scars of territorial scratches etched in by the Ericson kids what seemed like forever ago.

Every rock and tree had remained unmoved. The cracked grey stone that had Dewey's name carved into it still sat at the base of a dying cottonwood. Even the hearts and stars Sophie herself had carefully clawed into the stone with a sharpened ruler remained unscathed. Her acrylic paints and glitter, however, had completely vanished from the memorial rock and into the dirt.

Even the river itself was the same. The fresh, cooling scent of water rushing over rocks and minerals clung to the air. A hint of fish and mud trailed the initial shock of the cold smell. A distant roar from a waterfall could still be heard calling out from downriver. The soft waves gently lapped at the sides of the shore. The familiarity was almost comforting. The only thing that was different was the massive boat that floated menacingly on the surface of the water.

When the Delta kidnappers had first mentioned the boat, Sophie had been expecting something along the lines of a sailboat or a pontoon of sorts. But this was a full-scale monster of a river boat. Despite its intimidating size, it was pathetic-looking otherwise. The original dark grey paint job had been horrendously corroded throughout the years. The balconies that stretched from the main body of the boat had been shielded with panels of sheet metal shoddily patched around them. Sophie thought it looked more like a pirate ship than anything else. _Huh. A pirate ship for crazy assholes who steal and kidnap. Pretty fitting!_

Crates and supplies were littered all around the shore leading up to the rickety wooden pier. Guards were lazily meandering from the pier to the shore with shotguns in hand. A couple of them kept a watchful lookout from the top of the boat. A loud whiny echoed from a few yards away. Saddled horses were tied to nearby trees, happily munching on bales of golden hay.

"Here we are!" Abel announced as the group stepped foot onto the beach. "Let's get you two settled in."

The two guards posted on the edge of the pier kept their intense gazes fixated on the trees as the Delta raiders led the girls onto the walkway. The wooden planks groaned and cracked with each step someone took, creating a chorus of noisy, creaky complaints. A guard smoking a cigarette lowered the large metal door to allow the band inside. Her eyes were glossy with hatred as they followed the twins all the way into the boat. Sophie caught the moody guard shaking her head before the door slammed back shut, locking her and Minerva into their water-bound prison.

The walls of the entrance were lined with crates and bales of hay. It made the quarters feel even more small and cramped than what they would typically be. Lilly gave a nod to the two men who held on tightly to the twins' wrists and stalked through a swinging red door into the barricaded balcony. Sophie felt a harsh tug on her arm.

"Let's go," Jasper said urgently. She felt like a dog on a leash.

The men led their captives up a small flight of steep, wooden stairs and through a section of shielded balcony into the heart of the boat. The twins stretched their long legs over clutter and materials that were scattered all over the boat floor. A dingy light illuminated the little hall of the approaching brig. Rusting bars glittered in the dying light. The sun was attempting to push some light into the dark depths of the heart of the boat through a couple of bullet holes in the make-shift walls. However, her extraneous efforts were mostly futile.

Jasper suddenly halted at the first cell off to the right.

"Here's fine," he told Abel. The wiry man nodded and fumbled with the latch at the bottom of the cell. He unlocked the cell door with a loud _click_ and briskly pushed it open. Rather than light trickling into the cell, darkness seemed to come tumbling out of it and into the hall. Abel cracked a crooked smile and motioned for the girls to enter the shadows of the room. The girls obliged and the two men followed them in. Jasper reached into a pocket hidden within his bomber and pulled out his knife. Without much care or precision, Jasper yanked Sophie closer to him by the wrists and sliced the zip ties off her hands. He did the same to Minerva, who let out a little peep of alarm by his speed and recklessness with the weapon.

"Aw, don't worry little miss! Mister Brutus here won't jack ya up unless I tell him too!" Jasper told Minerva. "Oh! Speaking of cutting shit up..." Jasper pointed to the grey leather holster on Sophie's hip. "I'd like to have that for now, if it's not an issue." He lowered his arm and outstretched a massive, sweaty hand. Confliction battled in Sophie's gut. Part of her wanted to trick this man. She wanted to slowly pull her knife from its holster and then stab him in the throat before he knew what hit him. The other part of her was seized in a blaze of terror and urged her to do anything to make this man go away; even if that meant giving up her only means of self-defense.

"C'mon, kid. We don't have to do this the hard way," Jasper urged.

Sophie's body made up its mind for her as she reached to her hip and hesitantly dropped her knife into Jasper's palm. She screwed up her face in defiance and grumbled to herself. _Dammit._ Sophie felt her cheeks flush with frustration. _I could have used that to help get us out of here when the reinforcements arrive._

"There we go," Jasper praised. "Not so hard, right?" He took a couple steps back out into the hall. "Don't worry, I'll hang onto it until you earn it back from us." Sophie rolled her eyes in return. _Oh, I'll get it back alright. I'll rip it from your cold, dead hands while you're lying in a pool of your own blood._

"Now," Abel said, stepping out from the hall. He had something behind his back. "We expect this trip to be nothing but smooth sailing and quiet waters."

"Yes," Jasper agreed with a rusty chuckle. "And we would be very appreciative if you ladies didn't try and rock the boat."

"Or else," Abel warned, pulling a long, homemade, metal chain whip from behind his back. "We'll have to reinforce some manners!" The handle appeared to be made from a broken baseball bat. Four silver chains dangled from the wooden handle, glinting in the feeble light. Sophie squinted her eyes closer at the chain and realized in horror that the metal loops were pronged with dozens of small, sharp barbs. _That thing was made to just barely not kill whoever is unlucky enough to be on the other end of it...Jesus Christ, these people are maniacs!_ Abel struck the wall next to the twins with the whip, sending a loud _BANG_ shuttering through the room. The twins flinched at the abrasive sound.

Jasper shut the door with a thunderous slam and stalked off. Abel followed closely behind. The twins listened breathlessly until the pounding of their footsteps could no longer be heard.

Finally, the two sisters were alone. For a few heartbeats, all they could do was stare into each other's wide, petrified eyes. It was as if they were both searching for any trace of reality or sanity in the other's watery blues. Was this really happening? Did they really get stolen from their home by real-life pirates? It almost felt as if they were the damsels in distress trapped in some fucked up fairy tale. Sophie's mind spun, circling over and over in endless possibilities to convince herself this wasn't real. _No, this can't be. We live in the middle of a forest where nobody can find us. We surely must be miles away from any civilization. There's no way-_

Sophie's spinning thoughts were halted by the sight of Minerva's gaze suddenly clouding over in a fog of sadness. She watched her sister's shoulders slump down as her knees hit the ground. She buried her face in her white sleeves to muffle her uncontrollable weeps. She bellowed deep, agonized whines in between gulps of air. Sophie leaned down to where her sister had fallen into a puddle of tears.

"Hey, hey, Min! It's alright!" Sophie tried to console in a gentle tone. Her sister continued to blubber into her fleece jacket. Sophie scrambled to think of something to help settle her down. "Hey, now. I'm here, and there's no chance in hell I'm going anywhere else without you! You don't have to worry."

Minerva raised her head from her sleeves, her face drenched with hot tears. Her blue eyes were glimmering with misery, and her face glowing bright red. The red hair that had strayed into her face was tacked to her wet cheeks. Her lips were pulled back and quivering. Sophie grabbed her sister's hands and put them into her own. Minerva's fingers traced over the cuts she had buried into her sister's hand earlier, causing Sophie to slightly grimace at the sting. "It's okay, Minnie. We'll be home before you know it!" Her voice was bright with hope, but was unsteady with apprehensiveness.

Minerva looked down to the floor for a few moments before launching herself into Sophie's arms. She wrapped herself tightly around her twin sister and buried her face into Sophie's shoulder. Minerva unleashed a crackled wail into her sister's shoulder before breaking back down into heaving sobs. Sophie could feel her tears already bleeding through her hoodie. Sophie enveloped her own arms around her sister in return, cradling her as she bawled and whimpered. Sophie shut her eyes and swallowed back her own tears. _C'mon Sophie. Keep your shit together...I just have to stay strong enough until Marlon and the others get here...Then I can blubber and squeal all I have to...I just have to hold out for a little longer..._ Sophie felt warmth spreading across her cheeks. _Just a little longer..._ Her eyes started to prickle. _Don't you do it..._ Sophie straightened her back and cleared her throat, forcing the tears back into her eyes.

"Oh, Tenn..." Minerva whimpered mid-weep. "Please don't miss us too much while we're gone...Keep those eyes dry and that smile bright..."

Sophie gave her sister a couple comforting pats on the back as she concentrated on keeping her breath steady.

"You know what the last thing I said to him was?" Minerva blubbered. "I-I promised him that-that I'd try to find him new shoes while we were out today. I was only joking, but..." Minerva paused to aggressively sniffle her sobs back. "He-he said; "You don't have to, if you don't want to, Minnie. If you do find a good pair, give them to Willy. He needs them more than me."" Minerva wiped her puffy eyes with her sleeve. "And I said, "Tenn, you get one more tear in those things and they'll just be lumps of rubber." And then he smiled up at me and said, "But Willy's shoes hurt him now. I'd rather have duct tape boots than see him get all of those blisters on his feet.""

Sophie closed her eyes and tilted her head back to keep the pools of tears back in her eyes.

"He's such a sweet boy..." Sophie mused sadly. "Always puts his friends and family over himself...That's so hard to find in people these days. I'm so proud."

"Yeah..." Minerva sniffed. "We did pretty good, didn't we?"

"And we're still doing good!" Sophie stated firmly. "We're not done bringing him up yet."

Minerva shook her head into Sophie's shoulder. "I know..." she whispered. "I'm just...so worried about him. He's never been without us before...and we've never been without _him_! We won't be there to tell him goodnight. To tell him to pick up those goddamned toy cars before someone trips and breaks a leg on them. To tell him to stop making a mess trying to make paints out of berries and water. To tell him how smart and kind he is. To tell him...how much we love him."

Sophie gently ran her fingers through her sister's red strands. "He'll be okay for a couple of nights while the kids rally a plan to come get us. I know Violet will take good care of him while we're gone."

"But..." Minerva whimpered miserably. "What if they don't-"

"Hey!" Sophie cut her sister off sharply. "They _will_ come for us. You hear me, Min?"

Minerva slightly raised her head to meet Sophie's determined gaze.

"Family doesn't ditch family, you got that?" Sophie stated firmly.

"But...but..." Minerva stammered. "Mom and Dad...All of the other parents...they left us all to die at the school when the Walkers came."

"That's uh..." Sophie scrambled for a rebuttal. "Different. Maybe most of them even died in the first few weeks and couldn't get to us in time. I'm talking about the family we made at the school! The bunch of crusty, dumbass, knuckleheaded kids that nobody wanted that got together and said "Let's make this work.""

"Who's to say they won't leave us too?" Minerva cried.

Sophie sighed. "You just..." she trailed off. "Have to trust me on this, okay?"

Minerva gave a small, stiff nod before abruptly burying her face back in Sophie's shoulder.

Sophie wasn't how long she'd sat with an inconsolable Minerva when a shadow darker than the void of their cell stretched into the depths of their confines. Slow, steady steps approached the bars of the cell. Sophie blinked the blurriness of the growing tiredness away to see Lilly standing in front of the door. Her eyes were narrowed and her lip was raised into a scowl. Disappointment darkened her gaze. Minerva was facing the opposite direction of the door and did not notice her approach. Sophie stared up at the intimidating woman, gaze hollow with exhaustion. For as much as she wanted to stop to glare at this woman, she was too deep in her lake of sorrow that there was no pulling her out quickly enough to do so. All Sophie could do was watch as Lilly burned a hole of contempt with her stern gaze into her and her sister. The woman closed her eyes, sighed, and walked away; leaving the twins to be alone in their ocean of doubt and fret.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After what felt like endless hours of weeping, Minerva's sobs slowed into cries and then slowed into sniffles until they finally stopped all together. The two remained on the floor holding one another for the rest of the afternoon in silence. The sisters dozed in and out of restless naps on the dirty, metal floor. Every time one of them would start to sink into unconsciousness, someone would clank around equipment or the boat would utter a sudden grunt of effort, causing consciousness to shock them back to reality. One sister would jump, startling the other, in an endless cycle of sleeplessness. By the time the twins had given up trying to rest, a loud thumping of boots echoed into the brig.

A guard with a face even stonier than Lilly's was standing expectantly outside the cell. She had a wooden board with something balancing on top of it in one hand and a shotgun in the other. The warm scent of fresh food floated into the twins' quarters.

"'Ey yo. Time to eat," she said monotonously. She cracked open the cell by lifting up the latch that locked on the outside of the door. She slid the tray in and quickly slammed it back shut. "Ya'll better eat it up good or else Jasper's gonna have your asses in the morning." She stalked off before the twins had a chance to acknowledge her.

On the wooden plate was a freshly cooked catfish with a side of a baked potato and heated canned peaches. A military canteen full of water sat at the edge of the plate. The girls quickly gulped down the water before they had even thought of touching their food. Sophie took several big, cooling swigs to relieve the dry stickiness in her throat. Once her sister was done doing the same, the water was gone.

The twins stared down emptily at the plate, and then at each other.

"You hungry?" Sophie asked.

Minerva shook her head. "Not particularly." She sat back and away from the plate.

"Yeah, me neither," Sophie replied. "But we have to get something down for when Marlon comes to rescue us. It could be at any day or anytime."

She pushed the plate closer to her sister. "We'll need the energy," Sophie reminded her.

Minerva pondered for a moment and sighed. "I guess you're right," she admitted.

Sophie started picking at the fish while her sister began nibbling on the peaches. The catfish was mild, with a little after taste of sweetness that sprawled over Sophie's tongue. Her belly groaned in protest as the slimy fish slid down her throat. Minerva gave her a concerned look. Sophie gave a little smile and patted her stomach.

"I guess the freeloadin' gremlins who live in there aren't fans of seafood!" Sophie joked.

Minerva returned the meek smile and a little chuckle. "It sounds like it!"

The sisters continued to peck at their meals.

"Sophie?" Minerva suddenly piped up.

"Hm?" Sophie answered through a small bite of catfish.

"You..." Minerva hesitated and poked at the potato. "You really think they'll come back for us?"

Sophie swallowed her bite of catfish. "Well of course I do, dingus!" she replied, gently flicking her sister's forehead. "They wouldn't just abandon us, you know. Have a little more faith in them!"

Minerva embarrassedly brushed her hair out of her face. "Are you sure? Marlon and Brody seemed awfully shook up."

"You would be too if you just watched your friends get kidnapped by some batshit pirates!" Sophie retorted.

"I guess so," Minerva replied, uncertainty loose in her voice. She averted her gaze to the floor.

"Hey," Sophie said, reaching out and touching her sister's shoulder. "Do you really think Violet would ever leave you behind?"

A little smile crept up Minerva's face. "It'll be a chilly day in hell before she does." The smile crept up a little more, revealing a small flash of teeth.

"See? I told you!" Sophie declared. "There's no way they can leave us behind!"

Warmth filled Minerva's blue gaze as she met it with Sophie's. The two exchanged hopeful glances.

"So, how many ways do you think Violet is gonna fuck these guys up when she gets here?" Sophie asked, taking a bite of potato.

"Well let's see..." Minerva trailed off. "There's seventy-eight organs and two-hundred and six bones...so that's at least two-hundred and eighty-four options of torture and pain."

"She'll shove her boot so far up their asses that they can taste the dirt and shit she's been trampling for years!" Sophie said, a mischievous grin crawling across her face.

Minerva chuckled. "She'll rip off their calves so they're on their knees for one final prayer before she sends them straight to hell!"

"She'll use their skeletons as Halloween decorations!" Sophie added with a laugh.

"No, no! She'll throw them a party and blow their kidneys up like balloons and use their intestines as streamers!" Minerva laughed.

"Their blood will be our punch and their asses will be the cake!"

"Gross!" Minerva giggled. "Hey! How do you think she reacted after Marlon and Brody told her what happened to us?"

"Started rounding up all the ingredients to make a bowl of whoopass stew, duh!" Sophie answered.

"Oh? And how do you make that?"

"Well, you need two fists, one kickin' leg, a cup of attitude, and a gallon of unquenchable thirst for vengeance!" Sophie exclaimed.

"And a meat cleaver for extra flavor!" Minerva tacked on. The girls broke into a flurry of giggles. It felt good to laugh and forget about why they were even talking about Violet in the first place. The looming cloud of fear and darkness seemed to recede for a moment as the sisters joked and snickered. To Sophie, it felt almost empowering to be able to make her sister laugh in such a tough situation.

The few minutes of blissful contentment were abruptly ended by the loud, angry slam of a guard pounding the butt of her shotgun on the floor. The twins jolted. The storm of terror quickly clouded back over the dark cell.

"Ya'll shut the hell up!" the guard yelled.

The twins' smiles melted into frowns. Their glowing blue gazes became dim as they met each other. Unease and fear once again squashed any sensation of peace that had briefly illuminated the inky darkness of the cell. The sisters picked at the rest of their meal in silence.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That night, the twins tossed and turned on stiff, creaky cots. Sophie trudged through a fog of slow, restless sleep. She hovered in the space between consciousness and unconsciousness, making her feel as if she were dragging her feet through a muddy dream. A firm sensation of unease and agitation wrapped tightly around her chest as she tried to steady her nerves. Just as Sophie started to feel herself carefully sink into a deeper rest, a loud pounding yanked her back into the waking world. Any sensation of floating into a calmer state fled as her eyes filled with the shadows of the cell.

"Rise and shine, girlies!" Jasper boomed as he slammed his fist against the metal wall. "Got a nice, hearty breakfast all hot and ready for ya!"

Sophie gradually pulled herself forward to sit up. Grogginess tugged at her back to lie back down, but the broiling anxiousness that bubbled in her stomach pushed her out of the cot. Sophie saw her sister was already awake, recoiled into herself in the corner of her cot. Her blue eyes were wide and wild, like an animal backed into a cage. Tear stains ripped down her pale cheeks. Ridges of exhaustion sagged under her terrified gaze. Sophie had a feeling her sister had not slept very much either.

"Well! What do we have here?" Jasper questioned in a boisterous tone. He pointed to the wooden board that held the twins' half-picked dinner. The two could not stomach the entire meal after being silenced by the brig guard, as the interaction had filled their appetites with anxiety.

"It looks like you ladies have some leftovers from the delicious, nutritious meal you received last night!" Jasper went on. "Seems like you two need to learn some table manners!"

"W-we're sorry, we just weren't hungry," Sophie apologized. A burning sensation of contempt swelled in Sophie's chest. What she wanted to do was shove the rotting catfish in this man in a place where the sun don't shine, but she knew she had to keep a low profile until her Ericson friends came to rescue her. She couldn't make this harder than it had to be for them.

"Well 'sorry' don't fill empty bellies!" Jasper lectured. "I would have figured not wasting a good meal was common sense to you ladies by now, what with living in the middle of goddamn nowhere and all."

"We're sorry, it won't happen again," Sophie promised, hoping he was just go away if she were polite.

"You're damn right it won't happen again! You need to learn how we do things back home. And one of those things is not wasting food! I thought we went over this yesterday, but whatever." Jasper droned on. "You'll have to live and learn, I guess."

The twins exchanged nervous glances. _What the hell does that mean?_

"Well! I guess I'll just enjoy this delicious breakfast myself!" Jasper said, shoving a mouthful of oatmeal into his mouth. "You two will not be granted another meal until you finish that one."

Jasper marched away from the cell. "Gotta learn some damn gratitude!" he called back over his shoulder, mouth stuffed with food. "Kids these days...more like savages with the violent streak of a rabid Walker and the brains of a rotten toad turd nugget..." 

After Jasper's footsteps and insults trailed into the distance, Minerva hopped out of her cot and closer to Sophie. The sisters hovered over the decaying meal. A couple of small, black flies were crawling over the pungent catfish. The potato had dried up and curled into a wrinkly brown lump. The peaches had dehydrated into little orange crisps. The twins looked at each other and grimaced.

"Well," Sophie said, sitting down to the plate. "We've eaten worse!"

"Yeah, I guess so," Minerva confirmed, sitting across from her. Sophie crushed up a bite of hardening potato skin in her mouth. It was grainy and flavorless, but not offensive. Minerva hesitantly took a big bite of catfish. Sophie couldn't help but giggle watching her sister scrunch up her face in dramatic expressions of disgust as she softened up the rotting flesh. She gulped down the gamy bite and shuttered.

"I don't know Soph, this might be the new champion in 'grossest thing I've ever eaten'!" Minerva commented.

"Seriously?" Sophie laughed. " _That_ beats out rotten pheasant eggs?"

"Those didn't taste that bad! They just smelled worse than a Walker's ass," Minerva replied. "This both smells and tastes like shit! It's the whole package!"

"Oh, you're fuckin' with me!" Sophie said with a grin. "It's just some fish that's been sitting out for a little too long! Out of all the insanely disgusting things we've had to eat, you can't seriously be telling me _that's_ the worst thing you've ever eaten."

"I'm not fucking with you! Try it!" Minerva urged. "At least with the smelly stuff, you can just pinch your nose to get it down! But there's no escaping the taste of _that!"_

"You're telling me this beats rotten pheasant eggs, locusts, maggots, horse bladder, expired canned dog food, and cat tongue?" Sophie interrogated.

"Mhm!" Minerva nodded.

Sophie narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

Minerva rolled hers in return. "Just try it, Jesus Christ!"

Sophie slightly recoiled as her sister pushed the plate towards her. Minerva cracked a mischievous smirk as Sophie bent down to sniff the fish. A repulsive mixture of rotting fish and rancid vomit assaulted her nose.

"Ah!" Sophie hollered, retreating from the abrasive smell and covering her face.

Minerva laughed. "Told you!" she said, dragging out all the vowels. "Now take a bite!"

For a moment, Sophie debated allowing her sister to call her bluff and say no. However, seeing Minerva so joyful and bright after the horrors of yesterday's events filled Sophie's chest with warmth and comfort. At that moment, she would have done anything to keep her sister laughing and smiling; even choking down the rankest piece of meat that had ever assaulted her senses.

Sophie swallowed a big gulp of air before quickly biting off a piece of the fish. She rapidly chewed to get it down as fast as possible, but the overwhelmingly sour taste of rotting flesh made it almost impossible to hold in her mouth. She clenched her fists and pounded the ground as the slimy fish slid down her throat. Sophie gasped and shoved a withering peach in her mouth to eliminate the intense aftertaste. Minerva burst into a fit of giggles.

_"'Oh, you're fuckin' with me!"_ Minerva mocked playfully, doing a near-perfect impression of the way Sophie spoke. _"'it's just some fish that's been sitting out for too long!'"_

"Still doesn't beat the locusts for me," Sophie replied after recovering.

Minerva raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "How could locusts be worse than that?"

"You ever put one of those big damn things in your mouth while it's still alive?" Sophie said with a shudder. "It wiggles and buzzes around in there until you crunch it with your teeth and it pops like a zit. The worst part is picking little bug hairs and wings out of your teeth. Zero out of ten, would rather starve than eat one of those freakazoid bugs again!"

The sisters traded soft laughs.

"Well if you say so, weirdo!" Minerva chuckled.

The twins continued forcing down their unsavory meal in light-heartedness. The darkness that swelled at the corners of the cell seemed to recede from the radiance glowing from the sisters. A looming cloud that promised a storm of terror and strife still hung overhead. But in that moment, the fierce flames of hope and positivity between the two couldn't have been put out by even the vigorous downpour of anguish. They fed off of each other's fires, casting a brilliant blaze of luminescent optimism that pushed back the shadows that threatened to swallow them whole. However, there was one simple fact that Sophie was doing her best to shove beneath the fires of their faith; that the hotter the flames, the worse the burn would be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few hours after the girls had finished choking down their foul breakfast, the two laid down side by side in opposite directions on the hard floor. They stared up at the ceiling, counting cobwebs and chatting quietly. Sophie twiddled a strand of her long, fiery hair with her index finger. Minerva was rubbing her stomach in small circles.

"Okay, okay. Your turn," Sophie said, amusement trickling in her voice.

"Okay, um..." Minerva pondered. "Would you rather kiss a Walker with tongue or kiss the bottom of Mitch's foot?"

Sophie scowled in disgust. "Ugh, God!"

Minerva let out a little chuckle.

"Uh," Sophie thought. "Well the smell is going to kill me either way, so I'll take my chances with the Walker."

"Fair enough," Minerva laughed. "Your turn."

"Okay," Sophie said, rolling over onto her stomach. "How about, never sing again or never talk again?"

"Wait, if I could never talk again, could I sing everything I said?" Minerva asked.

"Sure," Sophie confirmed.

Minerva scoffed. "How bad could that possibly be?" she sang. "Sounds more like an endless dream to me!"

The sisters chuckled. Minerva's breathy laugh was cut off by a stiff groan. She threw her hands around her stomach and curled her knees into her chest. Her lips pulled back into a pained grimace.

"Woah, you okay, Min?" Sophie asked, concern edging her voice.

"Uh, yeah," Minerva affirmed through gritted teeth. "Just a little bit of a stomachache."

Sophie frowned and sat up. Minerva forced a little smile through her grimace.

"I'll be alright," she uttered. She sat up as the spasm in her gut subsided. "I'm sure the rocking of this damned boat isn't helping very much either."

"Probably not," Sophie agreed.

There was a brief stillness in the air.

"Soph?" Minerva softly chirped.

"Yeah?" Sophie answered.

"Where do you think they are?" Minerva asked, her tone suddenly growing very dark. Her blue gaze scraped over the scars and scratches on the wooden panels on the walls.

"Probably resting up or planning," Sophie answered. "Give 'em a break, Min. Who goes on a rescue mission in broad daylight?"

"I suppose that's fair," Minerva murmured.

Sophie put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Don't worry, they still have plenty of time to come for us." Of course, Sophie did not actually know this for sure. Unease and nervousness clawed at her chest.

"Yeah," Minerva agreed, perking up a little. "Yeah, they do!"

Sophie beamed a tense smile at her sister.

The rhythmic drumming of approaching boots tore their attention away from each other.

Lilly's shadow poured into the cell, swallowing any light that the twins' positive energy had radiated.

"Good afternoon, ladies," she greeted. "I've come with good news."

The woman tightened her thin lips into a rigid grin.

"We'll be raising anchor in about three days to depart for the Delta," she informed. "Which means you'll be out of these dingy old cells and will get to know your new family in no time! Isn't that great?"

Sophie felt her unease intensify. _Three days? That's it? They may need more time than that!_ Anxiety sloshed in her gut. Sophie met her sister's gaze. It was tight with shock and fear. _No, no. We have to get out of here!_ The panic ignited an enraged fire in Sophie's throat. She hauled herself up and stomped up to the bars. Lilly's massive shadow engulfed Sophie's figure.

"No, it is not great!" Sophie snapped. "You child-napping sons of bitches will never be any family of mine! Never!" Lilly closed her eyes and relaxed her rigid smile into a cool, collected one. "Do you hear me, you psycho bitch? Never! _Never_ ! Fucking _never_!" Sophie spit.

"That's what they all say at first," Lilly said, calmly. "They all throw the same tantrum and holler the same insults and threats. But they always come around."

"Bullshit!" Sophie snarled. "Let us out. Right _NOW_!" Sophie grabbed the bars of the cell and started violently yanking and tugging on them.

"I'm afraid that's not going to happen until we get home," Lilly answered.

Sophie pounded her fist on the wall and unleashed a high-pitched growl.

"Hey now," Lilly said in a soft, consoling tone. "I know how you're feeling. Angry, betrayed, maybe even a little sad. I know very well that you hate us. Everyone does at first. It's perfectly understandable. But soon you'll see. We'll treat you just like family. We'll take good care of you, I promise."

"Shut the fuck up! You're a fucking liar! Let us go, you psychopath!"

"Once we get home, we'll feed you better than it looks like you've been fed in a long time," Lilly continued. "We'll get you out of those filthy rags and get you all cleaned up. We'll teach you valuable survival skills and treat you as our own children."

"Are you listening to me? I said _LET US GO_!" Sophie yelled, her voice cracking with frustration.

"All we ask in return is that you treat us with the same kindness we treat you and remain loyal to those who saved you from a certain death with your previous group," Lilly went on.

"Why aren't you listening to me?" Sophie demanded, her voice slightly lowering.

"I am listening to you," Lilly replied, coolness dripping from her gravelly voice. "And I'm telling you how it's gonna be. I think it's you who should start listening to me."

Sophie briefly quieted down, choking on her retort.

"You'll come to see us family soon," Lilly vowed. "I promise."

"Oh yeah?" Sophie refuted. "What kind of fucked up family locks each other up? Threatens to beat terrified children with a whip? Mind explaining that?"

Lilly chuckled. "I can tell it's been a long time since you've had anyone to take charge of you."

Sophie cocked her head in confusion.

Lilly smiled. "You know, someone to tell you what to do for your own good. How it is for normal kids. You're telling me you haven't missed being a normal kid?"

Sophie averted her gaze, briefly questioning her initial ideas of what a "normal kid" implied. _A normal kid? Are brutal punishments part of being a normal kid?_ Sophie briefly glanced back at Minerva, who's blue eyes were wide with shock and her mouth was slightly parted with terror. 

Lilly's eyes lit up with satisfaction. "You see," she began. "My father was a military man, and knew how to instill some discipline. I just want to teach _my_ kids the same way he did. It's the quickest and most efficient way, to say the least."

"You mean he locked you up and beat you?" Sophie retorted.

Lilly shrugged. "Kind of. He would lock me in my room or hand down a good beating with the belt off his waist. Stuff like that."

Sophie narrowed her eyes.

"But that was back when kids couldn't get away with being savages and serial killers. Back when there were social expectations in society and most kids knew how to act," Lilly continued. "We just took the hard-love we were taught as children and cranked it up a notch to get it through to you kids raised by Walkers."

Sophie felt her hot rage ripple across her body. "Raised by Walkers?!" she shouted, offended. "What the fuck do you mean by that?"

"You can't deny that you kids brought up by this world are a little...different...than those raised in the world before." Lilly argued.

"Yeah, we are different," Sophie agreed. "The kids raised by Walkers don't immediately resort to violence and hatred for every little problem in this world. We don't escalate situations when we're angry or afraid. We look out for each other and mind our business. That's how we survive!" Sophie began to tremble from the sheer amount of anger rattling her body. "Adults are the ones who are the real danger, not us! You're the fucking cowards, the abandoners, the savages, the _evil_! You-you step on or kill whoever you have to to get ahead. Your selfishness is the very poison sending what remains of this world to hell! You wouldn't know real peace or kindness if it shot you right in the mouth!"

Sophie could feel her sister's eyes burning with utter shock into her back. Lilly glossed over the twins with a blank expression.

"You'll see, our people will come back for us. Adults are the ones who bring out the savagery in us, and trust me, _they will fuck you up._ They'll burn this hunk of shit to the ground and take you down one by one. They won't stop until you're all _dead!_ They'll show you just what Walker kids are made of!" Sophie declared.

Lilly let out a croaky chuckle and rolled her eyes. "We'll see about that," she murmured. The woman silently stalked away. Her shadowy presence still hung in the air long after her footsteps could no longer be heard down the halls. A dying light trickled into the cell.

Enraged, Sophie punched the wall. " _Fuck_!" she yelled. She socked the wall and screamed again and again until Minerva pulled her away.

"Sophie, you have to calm down!" she whispered in her sister's ear. "Jasper or Abel might hear you."

"I don't care!" Sophie roared, pushing her sister off of her.

"But Soph," Minerva muttered. "T-they'll whip us!"

"Then so be it! I don't fucking care anymore!"

Minerva took a couple of steps away, clearly taken aback by Sophie's words. A wave of guilt came crashing over Sophie, drowning her in regret. She hadn't meant to imply she didn't care if her sister was brutally beaten. _Goddammit._ Her fiery rage started to cool into self-pity. _Why did it have to be us? It shouldn't be like this. It's not fair that it has to be like this._

After taking a few breaths to cool down, Sophie slumped down to the wall and broke into a frustrated sob. She buried her head in her burgundy sleeves to muffle her pathetic whimpers. Burning tears scorched down her reddened cheeks. Soreness crept up in her throat from the tight grip of the weeps that wracked her body. Sophie felt an arm wrap lovingly around her shaking shoulders. Minerva lifted her sister's chin up to meet her gaze.

"Hey, don't worry Soph," Minerva comforted in a gentle tone. "Marlon and Violet will be here soon, remember? They'll come to get us. They're just waiting for the right time, right?"

Sophie wiped her nose on her sleeve and sniffled, trying to pull herself together.

"Yeah," she sniffed. "Yeah that's right." _At least I sure hope it's right…_

The sisters beamed at each other, hope flickering in each other's gazes. Her sister's words made Sophie feel better, but didn't eliminate the growing sensation of dread that was prickling in her chest. All of a sudden, Minerva threw a hand over her mouth and tore away from the comforting moment to vomit in the corner of the cell.

"Oh!" Sophie called, slightly surprised. She dried her wettened face with the bottom of her hoodie and hurried over to her retching sister. She gathered Minerva's long hair away from her face and put a hand on her back.

"Guess that catfish is taking its revenge on ya," Sophie commented.

"No shit," Minerva agreed in between hurls.

Once Minerva was done tossing the half-digested fish, Sophie briskly walked to the cell door.

"Hey!" she called. "Hey! Can we get some help over here?"

The icy-faced guard that had delivered their meal the previous night approached the cell.

"What do you want?" she demanded, coldly.

"She threw up," Sophie explained. "Can we get some water and maybe something to clean it up with?"

The guard crinkled her nose at the smell of the vomit. She grumbled a couple of inaudible complaints and stalked off.

Once Minerva recovered from her ordeal, she plopped one of the rickety cots with a sigh. The cot squealed in defiance as she threw her weight onto it.

"Lilly was right, ya know," Minerva said, solemnly.

"Huh?" Sophie replied, confusion light in her tone.

"About being normal kids," Minerva answered. "I miss it," she added, lifting her head.

Her eyes fluttered shut. "I missed it even before the world fell apart."

Sophie knew her sister was talking about the time before she and her sister had been sent to the boarding school. Sophie forced a small chuckle.

"Like we were _ever_ normal kids!" Sophie replied. "You were always singing made-up songs about penguins eating muffins or the neighbor's cat being best friends with our cat!"

"Hey! Fiona and Tiger adored each other!" Minerva defended. "I saw them cuddling once in our backyard!"

Sophie raised an eyebrow. "Did Tiger happen to be cuddling Fiona from the behind?"

Minerva's face contorted with confusion. "Yeah! How did you..." Realization sprawled across Minerva's face as Sophie cracked a genuine, mischievous smile. "Oh my God..."

"Oh, they adored each other alright!" Sophie added. "A little too much if ya know what I'm sayin'." Sophie gave her sister an exaggerated wink. Minerva shuttered and grunted with disgust. Sophie broke into a gruff laugh at her sister's discomfort, feeling the tensions of her tantrum begin to ease off.

"Well, you're one to talk!" Minerva accused. "You were always drawing weird shit! Like a stuffed bear made of eyeballs with bugs coming out of them or me being eaten by a wolverine made of cheese!"

Sophie shrugged. "I was into surrealist horror even back then!"

"Yeah but me being eaten by a wolverine made of cheese?"

"You stole my string cheese and I was mad at you."

"You left it on my bed like some kind of fucked up warning," Minerva commented.

"Don't fuck with my cheese then!" Sophie replied.

"Or you'll send a wolverine made of cheese to eat me?"

"Dumbass, what did the drawing say?"

"Touché," The girls traded soft giggles.

"See? We were both weird ass kids. What's there to miss?" Sophie said, hoping her own uncertainty was hidden from her tone.

"You know that's not what I was talking about," Minerva responded, her eyes and voice lowering. 

"I know." Sophie's own voice came back down from the brief spark of placidity the sisters shared.

"We might still have been normal kids right up until the end if I hadn't fucked it up for us," Minerva admitted.

"Hey." Sophie's voice grew firm. "That was not your fault, and you goddamn well know it."

"But Dad said-,"

"I know what Dad said," Sophie interrupted. "You know he didn't mean it. You know how adults get when they're scared."

Minerva nodded but said nothing, visibly unconvinced.

Before Sophie could continue, the guard had returned with two buckets and a fresh canteen of water. She cracked open the cell and tossed them in before quickly slamming it back shut. Sophie collected the buckets and canteen. There was a large green cloth in one of them.

"Use the cloth to clean it up, then put it in one of the buckets," the guard ordered. "The other bucket is for if either of you feel sick again. These waters can get a little rough once we get movin'."

Sophie gave a stiff nod of appreciation. Minerva stood up and shuffled to the cell door to face the intimidating woman.

"Uh, thank you, M-miss..." Minerva stammered.

"Dorian," The woman stated sharply.

"T-thank you...Dorian, m-ma'am," Minerva replied, gratefully.

The moody woman gave a curt nod.

Minerva trudged over to the buckets. Sophie shooed her hands away as she reached down for the handles.

"I got it, Min," she told her sister. "You go drink some water and lay down." Minerva gave a meek smile and nodded. Sophie watched as she tossed herself back on her miserable cot and started chugging water.

Sophie turned her attention to the pinkish-grey mess and started cleaning, holding her breath as she did so. As she scrubbed, the intrusive sensation of fear once again starting gnawing at her gut. _Three days. How could they possibly pull something off in three days? And all of these raiders are well-armed..._ She swallowed hard through a tightening throat. _They have to think of something, right? We've survived this long off of quick ideas, why wouldn't they be able to pull it off this time?_

Sophie wrapped up her cleaning and tossed the soiled rag into a bucket. She passed off the bucket to Dorian through a slit in the door she had opened back up. The guard made a disgusted grunt and stomped off. Sophie trudged over to her cot and slowly lowered herself onto it. Minerva was rolled over facing the wall on the cot directly across from her. The two were silent, but undoubtedly sharing the same clouded worries.

_Where are they?_

_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~_

Two days passed. Two days of waiting. Watching. Listening. Thinking. Hoping. Two days of quiet pleas for help. Two days of silence from the Ericson kids. Two days of expanding darkness in the tiny cell. Minerva was growing increasingly anxious with each passing day. On the first day, she began biting her nails and tugging on her hair. By the second, she was crying hysterically, entirely inconsolable. Sophie was becoming increasingly agitated and impatient. Her temper regularly flared at the guards. She would stomp her feet. Scream. Swear. Spit. Punch the walls until her knuckles bruised. She did want to hear their empty promises. She did not want their 'gifts'. She did want them reminding her of the ticking clock that was dwindling away her hope of being rescued. The guards had remained what they called 'incredibly patient' with Sophie's temper tantrums. That 'patience' finally dissipated on the eve that the anchor would rise.

"-And _fuck_ you for telling me _I'm_ the one with the attitude!" Sophie yowled at Dorian through the cell bars. "You're the one who's been nothing but a nasty, bitter, old hag since we've been here. You've done nothing to 'welcome' us like you and your little pirate crew have been saying you have!"

Sophie was in the middle of a one-sided shouting match with Dorian. The stone-faced guard had delivered the twins' their dinner, to which Sophie had sarcastically thanked the guard for her 'generous offering of friendship'. The woman had told the hot-headed girl that she had to make an attitude adjustment if she didn't want her life at the Delta a living hell. Sophie's now miniscule fuse set off, and exploded into a fit of rage.

"You're nothing but a spiteful, old witch! If you really wanted to welcome us, why don't you welcome us to the exit of this floating shit tank?" Sophie loudly rambled on.

Dorian, who had her back to Sophie at the end of the hall, rolled her eyes and grumbled. Sophie saw her motion for someone to come towards the brig. Jasper's massive, looming shadow crept into the halls.

"I'm getting' pretty damn sick of hearing that one's big ass mouth," Dorian complained.

"So is everyone on the whole damned boat and every Walker outside," Jasper agreed.

"Do somethin'," Dorian demanded.

Jasper bellowed an exaggerated sigh and marched up to the twins' cell. The sheer size of his broad, dark figure was enough to intimidate Sophie into taking a step back from the door. Her shoulders remained squared, and her stance aggressive. She curled her lips back into snarl. Jasper swiftly entered the cell and slammed the door behind him. His cold, shady presence poured a dousing blackness into the room, destroying any dying light that had squeaked through. He took a couple of purposeful steps towards Sophie. Minerva hid her head under the blanket of her cot.

"You won't do sh-," Sophie started to sneer. She was abruptly cut off by a sharp smack to her face, sending her tumbling to the ground. The breath fled from her lungs as she hit the cold metal floor, causing her to violently gasp for air. A hot, painful, stinging sensation spread across her right cheek. At first, all Sophie could do was lie there in a blurry daze, wondering what hit her.

"There. Did somethin'." Sophie heard Jasper call back to Dorian. "Smacked the rest of her bullshit right outta her trap."

Sophie could hear her sister hyperventilating under her covers. Before she could even raise her head up from the floor, Sophie was violently yanked up by her long hair to her feet. Jasper's meaty palm dug into the back of her head as he shoved her face closer to his.

"Now listen here, you little prick," he warned in a low tone. "You're going to learn some goddamn respect today. We've been awfully patient with your little shit fits. We've let you stomp your feet and holler to your little heart's content."

His dark eyes were glittering with malice. "We've shown you nothing but understanding and compassion. We even taught you a little thing or two about wastefulness. I'd personally greatly appreciate it if you took these kind gestures into consideration before you go mouthin' off again. I fully expect you to be an obedient, respectful young lady from here on out," he rumbled, his voice trembling on the verge of a roar. Sophie let out little whimpers as he tugged and pulled at her hair as he spoke. "Trust me, a good smack to the mouth is the most merciful punishment you could ever receive from me."

The man released Sophie's hair and snatched her by the arm. Any anger or defiance sitting in her chest spilled over. Terror wrapped around Sophie's neck like a snake suffocating its prey. A stone of panic lodged in her lungs, making it difficult to breathe.

"Now, promise me you'll behave yourself!" Jasper ordered, firmly squeezing her arm. Sophie's lip wobbled and words fled from her headspace. She could only stare up into Jasper's inky gaze and whimper.

The enraged man grabbed her by the shoulders and gave her a shake. " _TELL ME_!"

Fear flooded over Sophie, who began rapidly nodding. "Yes, yes, I promise!" A smirk steadily grew across Jasper's face. The man slowly released his tight grip on her shoulders.

"Good," he purred. "Now I expect a glowing report from Dorian here before we head out." Sophie remained stiffly in place as Jasper stalked out of the cell and out of the brig. All she could do was stand there, frozen in shock. The stone of panic weighed so heavy on her chest, no air could get in or out. A dull ache slowly began to swell in her jaw, snapping her back into reality. She choked down a massive gulp of air and fell to the ground in tearless sobs. Her entire body was trembling so hard, it felt as if she were shaking the boat. A hot, tingling sensation of fear rippled across her skin.

Sophie felt two thin arms wrap around her and pull her upright. She blinked the shock away from her gaze to be met with Minerva's water bright blue eyes. Her sister threw a tight hug around her. She was whispering something to her, but between the ringing in her ears and Minerva's panicked babbling, she couldn't make out what her sister was saying. Sophie allowed herself to lean into her sister's form and fall apart.

As the burning sensation from the slap crept across her face, Sophie felt the truth of the situation creep up into her reality. This was real. And this was happening. There was no distracting from it anymore. The twins were on their own. Still, Sophie scrambled for anything to convince herself they had not been deserted by their friends and family. _Surely they've been watching and monitoring the boat's moves, they must know that we're set to head out tomorrow. Yes, they must have a plan. They have to have one. They just have to._ Sophie felt uncertainty ooze from her reasoning. _Right?_

Minerva took a few steadying breaths and sat up from her curled position. She started gently hushing Sophie while stroking her hair. She began softly humming a little tune to try and comfort her sister. It was a song their mother had sung to them when they were very young whenever either of them couldn't fall asleep. It was all she could do while battling her own storm of tears. As both twins began to slowly calm down, Minerva had soothed herself enough to add the words to the melody.

_"Tell me, tell me, my dearest child."_

_"Tell me, tell me, why you've turned so wild."_

_"Tell me, tell me, what you need from me."_

_"Tell me, tell me, why you wish to flee."_

_"Your legs are always running, your mind somewhere far."_

_"And I'm left here wondering, when I lost my shining star."_

_"I cry out deep into the black night."_

_"While you are lost somewhere in the fight."_

_"Tell me, tell me, my darling young one."_

_"Tell me, tell me, why you have to run."_

_"Tell me, tell me, why you lit the flames."_

_"Tell me, tell me, why ashes remain."_

Minerva's voice slowly began to trail off as the sisters settled their crying. The cell was filled with darkness. The only light that glittered in the blackness were the tears the twins had spilled onto the metal floor. The girls' fiery red hair reflected in them, making them appear faintly orange. Sophie thought they looked like dying embers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The night dragged over the boat in an agonizing silence. The air in the brig was thick and heavy with tension. These were the final hours before the boat was to leave for the Delta; and the final hours the Ericson kids had to come rescue the twins. Both girls refused to sleep. Sophie assured her sister that they would be making their rescue any minute now, and they had to be ready. They held each other on the metal floor, leaning up against one of the cots. Neither had much to say to each other after the incident with Jasper. They held each other as they quietly drowned in their own swelling rivers of impending doom. Eventually, exhaustion overcame the two as they dozed off as weak morning sunlight crawled miserably into the cell.

Sophie was awoken from her brief nap by her sister violently weeping into her shoulder. She blinked the crust out of her dehydrated eyes and sat up to face her sister.

"Hey I know I haven't had a real shower in a while, but I can't stink that bad!" Sophie tried to joke.

Rather than crack her usual bright, polite smile through the tears, Minerva continued to whimper and stare at Sophie with an expression dark with misery and grief.

"What? Did Jasper fuck up my face that bad?" Sophie tried again, touching the swollen bruise on her jaw. Minerva turned away and wept into her fleece sleeves.

"Stop it. Please," Minerva blubbered into her arm, turning further away from her twin.

Sophie crawled towards her retreating sister. "What is it, Minnie?"

Minerva's head erupted from her coiled position. "You know what!" she yelled in a whisper "They abandoned us! Left us for dead! Both of us!"

Sophie reached out to put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Hey, c'mon now," she consoled. "They still have time! What better time to pull off a rescue mission than last minu-"

"Sophie!" Minerva interrupted. "Don't you get it? They. Aren't. Coming. Not Marlon. Not Brody. Not Violet. Not Tenn. Not _anyone._ We belong to these people now." The distraught girl lowered her head. "I don't know why I ever let you convince me they were. Mom and Dad never came back for us, so why should I have expected anyone else to?"

Sophie felt anger bubble in her chest. "Hey, we belong to _no one_ , you hear me?" she stated, firmness hard in her voice. "We are no one's slaves and never will be. They'll come for us; I promise. Marlon's a strategist, he's probably just-."

"Sophie!" Minerva shouted. Sophie recoiled. It was extremely rare for her soft-spoken sister to ever raise her voice in anger. It seemed as if Minerva had even surprised herself, with her hand briefly flying over her mouth to quiet herself. Sophie's eyes flew open as she shrunk into her hoodie.

"They aren't coming," she declared. "Think about it. Why would Marlon risk the rest of them for us? To rescue us would be a suicide mission for the whole school. It'd be much easier for them just to forget about us and move on." Sophie felt her sister's words prickling and poking her chest. The truth that had been simmering underneath her since their capture was now exploding from the shadows. It wrapped a cold hand around her neck, and whispered the reality of the situation to her.

" _You've been abandoned..."_ it breathed. _"You're nothing but a tragic memory now..."_ Sophie shut her eyes and tugged on her hair, trying to block out the voices. _No, no, no. They still have time. They still have time. Shut the fuck up, please._

"It's over. They aren't coming. We just need to keep our heads down and-," Minerva started to admit.

"No! I will not just 'keep my head down' Minnie! We don't have to do a goddamn thing because they're coming for us!" Sophie roared. "They have to be!"

"Lower your voice, please," Minerva pleaded.

"You can't just give up on them like that!" Sophie yowled. Minerva shrunk into a ball on the floor as her sister hovered over her. "We've all been there for each other since the beginning! We're the ones who took care of each other and loved each other when nobody else would! Why would they abandon us? How can the abandoned abandon more of their own? It doesn't make any fucking sense!" Sophie's angry tone began to crackle with pain. "We all know what it's like to be deserted by people we thought loved us; people we thought we could trust! That's something everyone at that goddamn school understands. Why the _fuck_ would they turn around and do it to us? Use your head, Minnie!" 

Sophie began pacing the floor in front of her sister. "Where does the cycle end? Am I just insane and that's how most people normally are? Predisposed to betrayal? Is it just a normal human thing to just leave behind those deemed unnecessary to your survival anymore?" Tears bent her voice into a fractured whine. "I would have murdered everyone on this entire goddamn boat with my bare hands if it had been anyone else in here. And I sure as shit would have died trying to get them out! Am I just crazy? Is there just something wrong with me?" Sophie's yelling quieted down into feeble whimpers. "There must be something wrong with me if nobody else would have done the same. Maybe I just put too much love into people who didn't deserve it. Or maybe..." Sophie slumped to the wall. "Maybe I never deserved that kind of love in the first place. Maybe it's not that I love too much, and that it's I haven't earned the love I expect from people." Sophie's words turned into weeps as she buried her face in her knees.

Minerva crawled closer to her sister. "Soph, you know that's not true. You deserve all the love in the world!"

"Then why did Mom and Dad leave us? Why did the teachers leave us? Why did Violet and Marlon and everyone else leave us?" Sophie cried.

"I-I don't know, Soph. I don't know," Minerva stammered. "But, I'm still here."

Sophie sniffled and wrapped her arms around her sister and buried her face into her shoulder. _And now, you're all I have left...The only one whose love I can rely on…_

"And you've certainly earned my love a thousand times over!" Minerva comforted softly. "I know it's not much, but I hope it counts for something."

_It counts for everything now…_

A looming shadow crept into the cell. Lilly was standing in front of the twins' cell, face twisted up in disapproval. She let out a loose sigh.

"It'll be alright, girls," she half-heartedly consoled. "There's no need for all of that. We're lifting anchor in thirty minutes." She gave a stiff smile, expecting her words to comfort the twins. "Soon enough, you'll be a part of something much greater than you could have possibly imagined." The twins continued to stare up wordlessly at the woman, tears silently scoring their cheeks.

Lilly averted her gaze and pondered for a moment. "Not only that, but you'll be a part of our family, too," she added. "And as family, you'll be protected and accepted by us. The sooner you start cooperating, the sooner we can all be one big, happy family. Sound good?"

Minerva wiped her eyes with her sleeve and nodded. The final flicker of defiance in Sophie's chest turned to ash. All she could do was mirror her sister and nod. Lilly beamed at their subordination and walked away. Sophie's fight had been extinguished.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The thirty minutes ticked away and spiraled out of the darkness of the twins' cell. Nobody came for the girls. It was over, and all of their hope had trickled out of the cracks of their broken spirits. All the sisters could do was sit there on the ground and hold each other. They could not think or speak. They could only feel as grief and hollowness poisoned their bright natures. Jasper's devilish shadow poured into the cell. The man gave a slight cracked smile at the sight. He said something sly, but Sophie couldn't hear him over the ringing of sadness in her ears. Suddenly, the boat shuttered and gave a throaty bellow. It started to teeter and wobble as it began to push back from the beach. With one final effortful grunt, the boat trudged backwards and turned its nose north. With that, the sisters were carried off far away from the boarding school.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Three days passed. Three days of rocking back and forth. Three days of nauseating swaying. Three days of silence. The twins did not talk very much during their voyage. There was no more to talk about. Nothing more that could be said. Neither sister could continue to fan each other's flames of hope. Instead, they wallowed in the ashes. There was nothing that could be done to soothe each other. Sophie felt too gutted to embellish any strength or happiness for her sister. She could no longer reminisce in better times, as the memories stung too sharply. She no longer had the will to joke around or be her mischievous self. All she wanted to do was mope and stare at the punch marks she had cut on the wall. She didn't take much notice to her sister, who slept or cried for most of the journey. Every now and again, the two would hold each other without saying a word, making a feeble attempt at sparking any sort of comfort for each other.

Meals were delivered regularly. Jasper watched the twins pick at each meal. He would scowl and complain that they ate too slowly, but the nauseating mixture of grief and motion-sickness had squashed their appetites. During breakfast on the third morning of the trip, Sophie told the man to not bring them any more food for the day, as breakfast would be enough. He grinned in response. "See, now was a little politeness and courtesy so hard?" he had praised. He gave Sophie a rough pat on the head through the bars of the cell.

On the morning after that encounter with Jasper, the twins were awoken by the boat violently trembling and uttering a deep cry. The rocking and swaying of the metal beast steadily slowed until it eventually stopped. Sophie could hear the water lapping at the sides from outside. Many new voices echoed into the brig, shuffling and meandering about. The twins casted empty glances at each other. The Delta and its newest members had arrived. 

##  **_Hey, thanks for reading! Catch story updates on my Reddit or Wattpad! Part III coming this December._ **

  
  



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